Local Villages (India Local) Assessment
- Madhav Gadgil
Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science
Bangalore, India – 560012
Project Team and Institutions
Madhav Gadgil, CES, IISC, Bangalore, Karnataka; Yogesh Gokhale, CES;
K. P. Achar, CES; Shrikant Gunaga, CES; M. B. Naik, CES; Shridhar
Patgar, CES; Nagarik Seva Trust, Guruvayankere, Karnataka; Nilesh Heda,
CES; Mohan H. H., Vrikshamitra, Chandrapur, Maharashtra; Yogini Dolke,
Srujan, Pandharkavada, Maharashtra; Kaustubh Pandharipande, Karanja,
Maharashtra; Shubhada Deshmukh, AAA, Kurkheda, Maharashtra; Vijay
Edlabadkar, Ballarpur, Maharashtra.
Funding for this assessment was provided by the Ministry of
Environment and Forests, Government of India and the Millennium
Ecosystem Services Assessed
Provisioning services: food, water, fuel, fiber; cultural services:
aesthetic and spiritual.
Assessment Approach and Summary of Findings
The recently enacted Biological Diversity Act (2002) has made the
preparation of a ‘‘People’s Biodiversity Register’’ (PBR) mandatory for
village councils all over India. The India Local assessment provides a
methodology for preparation of PBRs. Through model PBRs consistent with
the MA framework, the following conclusions were derived for the changes
taking place in ecosystems and their impacts on human livelihoods at the
local scale in the assessment areas.
Land use changes and driving forces: In the Western
Ghats, excessive levels of conversion of paddy fields to areca nut
orchards has been undesirable, as this has increased irrigation water
demands to an unsustainable level. The conversion of former village
common lands used as grazing grounds to habitation or Casuarina
equisetifolia and Acacia sp. Plantations have led to a reduction in
livestock holdings and a decline in organic manure resources. In
Vidarbha, the availability of usufruct rights (Nistar rights) and
awareness about it in recent years are important drivers for motivating
people to think about resource management. Joint Forest Management
initiated by the State Forest Department has also been an important
driver and has led to several villages successfully implementing
resource micro planning.
Soil and water: There is a widespread perception
that a decline in the use of organic manure accompanied by an increase
in the application of chemical fertilizers and insecticides has led to a
serious loss in soil fertility as well as affected the quality of water
and aquatic life. The traditional gravity flow irrigation method has
been replaced by drips and sprinklers, which greatly reduce the water
going back into streams or percolating to underground water
tables—ultimately reducing the stock of underground water.
Agriculture and tree crops: The patterns and
practices of agriculture, that is, the land under cultivation of
seasonal/annual crops and tree crops have changed over time, thereby
affecting ecosystem services.
Forests and forestry plantations: Original forests
have disappeared due to deforestation in coastal villages in the Western
Ghats of Karnataka. Overexploitation of forest resources has led to the
opening up of the canopy, which coincided with the invasion of the
exotic weed Eupatonum odoratum (Chromolaena odorata). Forest plantations
such as Casuarina equisetifolia and Acacia auriculiformis have largely
come upon lands that were earlier maintained as community grazing lands.
Grasslands: People attribute the following causes
for the degradation of grasslands and related ecosystem services in
recent decades: (1) rapid depletion of common resources and (2) apathy
of forest authorities towards cattle and fire.
Domestic animals: The introduction of high milk
yielding breeds of domestic cattle in Karnataka villages has resulted in
the loss of traditional breeds of cattle such as Malnad Gidda.
Fish: Fishing during the breeding season in the sea
has resulted in the loss of fish diversity and density and also decline
in the availability of fishes. Fishery resources are neither abundant
nor diverse in other water bodies. Destructive fishing methods such as
the use of dynamite and fish poisons have led to fish depletion.
Selected response options:
In Koyyur village, the following responses have begun to be
- The forest department was compelled to form Village Forest
Committees as a part of the JFPM so that people can participate
collectively in natural resource management. The villagers are
providing vital information to the Forest Department regarding
- In Koyyur village, five farmers have come forward to dig the
percolation pits in their plots.
- Three sacred groves have been identified and the process started
for planting medicinal plants and endangered species.
- Morante ( Channa striatus ) fish breeding has been initiated.
- About 15 individuals were selected for developing kitchen herbal
gardens and seed banks at the household level.
Three state-level and two national-level scenarios were developed.
The state-level scenarios include:
- Bioresource database: Indian states gear up to
implement the National Biological Diversity Act, 2002. State-level
documentation of bioresources in the state is undertaken to create a
database. This will help to ensure better, more-informed
decision-making. Such database building efforts will be taken up by
states within a few years.
- Strengthening the IPR regime and validation:
States will be establishing a system of safeguarding people’s
knowledge related to bioresources and steps for adding value. There
are examples which include initiatives taken by Government of India
through the National Innovation Foundation. States will have such
organizations at levels accessible to local people. Special efforts
with the help of scientific institutions will be required to
validate the knowledge. There has been an increasing demand to
explore traditional knowledge for commercial use by blending it with
modern technology. This will have to be done in parallel with
knowledge documentation processes. Norms of benefit sharing need to
be evolved. There is enough technical expertise available within the
country in terms of information technology for safeguarding
- Sustainability in strategies: States will have
to take measures for devising strategies as per the Biological
Diversity Act 2002, by declaring sites as biodiversity heritage
sites, banning the extraction of particular species, etc. as
suggested by documentation done at village level. These strategies
will supplement the existing legal provisions like protected areas,
etc. The national-level scenarios developed by the project include
- Network of databases: As a follow up to
National Biological Diversity Act, there will be a national database
of bioresources in India. This process is likely to be initiated
soon. By 2015 there could be networked information system available
all over the country. The data mining from this system along with
validation of knowledge will create opportunities for jobs all over
- Strengthen state and local functioning: Central
government will have to strengthen various systems operating at
state and local levels which include strategies for sustainable
utilization, IPR protection and benefit sharing, and evolving
systems of positive incentives.