Ecological Transformation in Western Ghats An Environmental Study of Kerala, 1800-2018

About this book

This work is an attempt to understand the complexities of the environmental history of Kerala from ancient till the modern period. A major transformation in the environment of Kerala happened with the British colonial rule. They introduced a new forest policy, which collected maximum timber from the Western Ghats for further advancement of the British Empire. Colonial forest policies were almost similar in the colonial district of Malabar and the princely states of Cochin and Travancore. They were engaged in mono-crop plantations in the ecologically fragile hills and game hunting in the forest regions of Kerala. Later agrarian migration inside Travancore and Cochin, and the large-scale settlement of people in Malabar from Central Travancore, also drastically changed the land use pattern in Kerala. The 'Grow More Food' campaign of the government in the post-independent period, and other support of the government and non-governmental agencies, assisted small-scale farmers in reclaiming the uncultivated land in the highlands for the extensive expansion of agriculture. However, the environment of Kerala also underwent drastic changes due to urbanisation. The state began to experience an environmental crisis with the great flood in Munnar in 1924.

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Biography

Joshy Mathew obtained his PhD from Kannur University and teaches History at Pazhassiraja College, Pulpally, University of Calicut. He served as a member of the Board of Studies in History and Christian Studies at the University of Calicut.