Biodiversity and Livelihood: Lessons from Community Research in India is a compilation of research articles on the ecological biodiversity and local conservation efforts of selected regions in India, and among local communities throughout the county. 18 chapters have been contributed by experts in ecology, sustainability and ethnic studies in India. The chapters provide information on a wide range of topics which cover local communities, their agricultural practices and the ecological relationships between their community and the species on which their livelihood depends. Contributions emphasize different aspects of these topics, such as observational ecological information about the aforementioned regions and communities, the local biodiversity, tribal customs of ethnic communities that are linked to conservation, specific programs which are aimed at the conservation of specific plant and animal species endemic to the region, the benefits shared by the communities involved with conservation programs and recommendations shared by the authors for sustainable management of the regional ecosystem and its resources.
Readers will find a wealth of information about biodiversity conservation in different regions in India (most notably the western and eastern ghats and provinces such as Kerala and Andhra Pradesh), from a basic and applied perspective. The book is, therefore, an informative reference for conservationists, ecologists, environmentalists and ethnologists who are studying the biodiversity and conservation of India. Readers involved in sustainable development programs in the region will also find the content valuable to their knowledge.
About the Editor:
Dr Oommen V. Oommen is an eminent biodiversity conservationist with several years of experience as a teacher, scientist and a policymaker. He has more than 40 years of teaching experience in endocrinology, animal physiology, biochemistry, genetics, ecology, developmental biology and biodiversity and is actively involved in science popularization programs. He is also a CSIR Emeritus scientist. Dr. Oommen served as the chairman of Kerala State Biodiversity Board and during this period, he had been responsible for bringing about policy decisions to enable the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. Currently, he is an emeritus professor at the Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology of the University of Kerala, India. As recognition of his outstanding research contribution to caecilian biology and molecular taxonomy, scientists from Natural History Museum, London, named a caecilian amphibian, Uraeotyphlus oommeni, in his honour. He has published over 160 research papers, 15 book chapters, 20 GenBank submissions, a few edited four international books in the last seven years and several popular science articles.
Dr Laladhas K P is an academician and researcher from the area of Life Science, who specialised in biodiversity conservation and bio-prospecting. He has also worked in consultancy projects funded by the UNDP and National Medicinal Plant Board. Two of his International Books have been edited and published by Springer International and Bentham Publishers. He published more than fifty research publications in peer reviewed International and National Journals and authored seven Books from the area of Environment and Biodiversity. Dr. Laladhas served the Kerala State Biodiversity Board as its Member Secretary for more than five years. He has also worked as an expert member of Kerala Coastal Zone Management Authority, Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India and a Member of working group on Biodiversity, constituted by Kerala State Planning Board for 13th Five-year plan. Presently, Dr Laladhas is the Principal and Professor of St Stephens College, Pathanapuram.
Dr. Erach Bharucha is a well-known surgeon in Pune, India, for over 50 years. He has been active in wildlife conservation for four decades and has been a member of several central and state government committees. As an environmental educator at PG/UG/and school level, he has an interest in education for sustainable development. He has been a member of the Executive Committee of Bombay Natural History Society, and Governing Council of Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History and Vice President of Wildlife Trust of India. Dr. Bharucha has been associated with the NCERT, SCERT and UGC to further the cause of formal environmental education. He has been the chairman of the Maharashtra State Biodiversity Board from 2012 to 2014.
Keywords:
Biodiversity, sustainable development, ecosystem, sustainability, ecology, ethnic studies, Environment, Livelihood
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