Integrating Conservation and Development in Western Ghats, India

Communities living in and around Protected Areas (PAs) have traditionally remained poor due to restricted traditional forest resource use and inadequate access to development opportunities. Integrated Conservation and... [ view full abstract ]

Communities living in and around Protected Areas (PAs) have traditionally remained poor due to restricted traditional forest resource use and inadequate access to development opportunities. Integrated Conservation and Development Projects (ICDPs) have been trying to search for alternative approaches that can reduce the resource use pressures on PAs and provide livelihood opportunities to local communities, simultaneously building local support for protection of these areas. Ecodevelopment, otherwise known as ICDP in other parts of the world, has been used as a tool for biodiversity conservation and livelihood support for local communities in and around PAs in India. However, given the social, economic and ecological ramifications of this approach at various spatial scales, the need to evaluate what is working and what is not is becoming increasingly important. The present study undertaken in three landscapes in southern Western Ghats, India examines the linkages between ecodevelopment initiatives & biodiversity conservation and livelihood security of local people. Study also tries to look at the contributions of these initiatives into changing paradigms of development in these areas.   

Archival research and survey of all the Village Ecodevelopment Committees (VECs) involved in the programme in these landscapes formed the backdrop of the study. Stratified random sample of VECs and households was carried out and information on the resource use patterns, sources of livelihood, socioeconomic conditions of local people, people-Park conflict, attitudes of local communities and strength of local institutions to sustain ecodevelopment initiatives was gathered. Information about impact of the programme on health, education and community empowerment was also gathered so as to look at process of development. As an outcome of ecodevelopment, the incomes of the VECs increased significantly and the income disparities among various sections within the community were reduced. Share of the income from forest resource use came down while share of non-consumptive and non forest activities went up. On the other hand, due to significant support provided by VECs in protection programmes, improved participatory PA governance systems have evolved in these areas. Study also reveals that these initiatives have lead to significant change among the communities with respect to awareness about health, education, community empowerment and social capital. While looking at the length of ICDP programme in three landscapes, it is revealed that the mainstreaming process of the local communities requires reasonable period of handholding which is critical for establishment of resilient institutional and governance mechanisms to support new conservation-development paradigms.