Language: English
The book brings together both environmental and economic issues to analyze the theoretical and practical interactions between forests, people and economics, especially as it applies to the Western Ghats in India.
The book contains eight chapters; the introductory chapter brings forests, environment and local community within a theoretical framework. A profile about the Kodagu District's forests, environment and economy is discussed in the existing context of forest tenure regimes in the second chapter. An economic analysis of deforestation is carried out in the third chapter by exploring how the root and proximate causes both theoretically and practically influence the process of deforestation and consequent environmental degradation. The fourth chapter traces out the participatory forest management experiences in India. The case study on Nagarhole National Park (State Property Regimes) explores the role of forests in meeting the bonafide livelihood needs of the local communities in the fifth chapter. The relevance of traditional environmental knowledge in conserving and managing sacred groves (Community Property Regimes) is examined in the sixth chapter. The seventh chapter deals with utilization and conservation of forests in private plantation areas (Private Property Regime). The concluding chapter presents major findings and a "blueprint" for joint protected area management in Nagarhole National Park that involves local people, along with listing a wide range of policy implications.