STATE OF BIODIVERSITY IN

MAHARASHTRA

Erach Bharucha

Director

Bharati Vidyapeeth

Institute of Environment Education and Research, Pune

Email: bvieer@vsnl.com Phone No. 020-24375684

State of Biodiversity in Maharashtra

Sites

• Natural landscapes

• Cultural landscapes

Species

• Flora

– Wild

– Cultivar

• Fauna

– Wild

– Domestic

Strategies

• PA network – WL Protection Act

• BMCs Biodiversity Act

Sensitivity / Robustness of ecosystems and landscape elements

The Natural Landscapes• Protected Areas

• Islands of small size

• Lack of corridors

• Increasing threats

• Lack of strong public

support

Source: MoEF

The traditional cultural

landscapes• Farmland

– Paddy – Flood plains / Terraced slopes

– Shifting cultivation ‘rab’ on steep slopes

– Semiarid Deccan Plateau – Bajra Jawar Rainfed

– Irrigated land – Sugarcane horticulture

• Pasture lord : Grazing Browing

– Forest browsing by wild and domestic cattles by Agropastoralists

– Grassland and scrubland – Settled farmers / Migrant Dhangar –

sheep goats

– Coastal areas: Plantation orchards

– Fisherfolk

• Aquatic freshwater and Marine ecosystems

• Urban Sector

Species

• Abundance / Rarity

• Flora – Endemism

• Fauna – Threatened species

Strategies for wildlife

conservation

• Conventional – NP, WLS, CCA’s

• People’s participation

–Ecodevelopment committees

–BMC’s

–Social forestry

Strategies for sustainable use

Sensitivity / Robustness

• Western Ghats

• Wetlands

• Coastal areas

• Mangroves

• “Hot specks”

Conservation Concepts

• “Biodiversity conservation and its

sustainable use”, must bring about

economic support for local people;

• It includes rational and scientific ecosystem

management.

• Equitable use of resources.

• Conservation of local ecosystem goods and

services.

• This includes genetic, species and

ecosystem diversity….

The needs…..

What does the Convention on Biodiversity require?

• Nations are custodians of their own biodiversity as

a contribution to global sustainability of Earth

Resources.

What does India’s Biodiversity Act of 2002 require?

• Conservation of Biological resources with

equitable and sustainable use of its products.

Executive Functions

The strategy enshrined in the Biodiversity Act

2002 requires…….

• BMCs – Primary function.

• PBRs – Database with validation.

• Equitable Access and Benefit sharing

mechanism.

• Notifying Biodiversity Heritage Sites.

Maharashtra – A unique State

• Maharashtra’s diverse ecosystems require

different approaches:

• Northern forests – Central Highlands of India –

Tribal communities.

• Deccan plateau grassland – Semiarid agriculture

and pasture land – Migrant shephards

• Western Ghats – ESAs; High biodiversity and

high fragility – Hotspecks, Corridors

• Coastal region – Ecosystem services and

marine resources – CRZ.

• Freshwater aquatic ecosystems

Strategies

What does Maharashtra require…..

• Preservation of all its ecosystems.

• Preservation of all wild species.

• Preservation of all genetic variations of both:

– Wild flora and fauna

– Wild relatives of potentially useful species, all indigenous cultivars, livestock breeds.

• Enhance insitu conservation.

• Initiate exsitu conservation.

• Increase public awareness and support

Tools

• Rapid collection of area specific data

• Convincing people of the benefits of

biodiversity conservation and ensuring that

local people can see economic

incentives…

• Linkage to potential benefit sharing with

Industry, Pharma, Cosmetics, etc.

• Ecotourism...

The Traditional Knowledge and

Culture’s of Maharashtra

TKS preservation….

• Northern forests – Korku, Bhil, Gondh, Pardhi.

The Traditional Knowledge and

Culture’s of Maharashtra

TKS preservation….

• Deccan plateau – Semiarid farmers and their cultivars, Dhangar and their pastures.

The Traditional Knowledge and

Culture’s of Maharashtra

TKS preservation….

• Western Ghats

– Paddy farmers and shifting cultivation

– Warli, Kokana, Kathkari, Mahadeo Koli.

– Sacred Groves, Water sources, Hill slopes

The Traditional Knowledge and

Culture’s of Maharashtra

TKS preservation….

• Coastal region – Koli fisher folk, Paddy, ‘rab’ with indigenous knowledge of farmers on local cultivars.

Region specific strategies

• Establishing Conservation Priorities.

• Identifying existing and potential threats.

Biodiversity and Cultural preservation

• Linkage between Natural Science / Social Science

• Economics and Law

Biodiversity Conservation

Technology

HotspecksCorridors

Law: Biodiversity Act

ABS

Societal Economics, equity.

ABSSocial Science

(Citizen science approach)

BMCs PBRs

Biodiversity Conservation

Technology

HotspecksCorridors

Law: Biodiversity Act

ABS

Societal Economics, equity.

ABS

Social Science

(Citizen science approach)

BMCs PBRs

Resources and Cultures…..

Livelihoods:Agropastoralist

• Cultivar diversity.

• Traditional farmers and forest tribal folk have used forest

biomass as a wood ash fertilizer, along with cattle dung which

was sustainable when human population was limited.

Resources and Cultures…..

Livelihoods:

Pastoralist / Animal husbandry

• Livestock breeds

• Traditional pastoralists have used grasslands

and migrated in response to seasonal variations.

Forager – Hunter – Gatherer

• Once sustainable, now unsustainable… Illegal

• Current sustainable use through BMCs –

• Ex situ Conservation Breeding Centers

• Increasing habitat loss and poaching will

lead to local extinction

Resources and Cultures…..

Livelihoods

Resources and Cultures…..

LivelihoodsFisherfolk

• Fisher folk traditionally reduce their fishing activities

during the fish breeding seasons.

• Wetlands and coastal ecosystems provided a wealth of

seasonal aquatic resources.

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS / NATURAL LANDSCAPES

TRIBAL REGIONS

High diversity of distinctive ecological entities.

Dividing line of Sal and Teak forests.

High tribal cultural diversity.

Fauna: Tiger, Leopard, forest avifauna, other taxa.

Carrying capacity for wildlife tourism has been exceeded in Tiger Reserves.

CENTRAL HIGHLANDS OF INDIA

Traditional Cultural Landscapes

People

TKS of Korku, Bhil, Baiga, Gond.

Medicines, dance, tattoos, jewelry, pottery, artifacts (metal work).

DECCAN PLATEAU

Natural Landscape

Ecosystem: Scrubland and Grasslands / Rivers / Riverine areas / Manmade wetlands in dams.

Flora- Teak forest / Semiarid grassland.

Fauna: Wolf, chinkara, blackbuck, bustards, raptors, reptiles

DECCAN PLATEAU

Fauna

People- Semiarid – farmers, migrant Dhangars – The linkage…..

Landuse- Bajra, Jawar – Traditional rainfed farming – Central Plateau.

DECCAN PLATEAU

Traditional Cultural Landscape

Conflict

• Change to sugarcane due to rapid irrigation development.

• Industrialization.

• Urbanization.

DECCAN PLATEAU

Intensive Agriculture and Urbanisation

WESTERN GHATS

Natural Landscape

• Globally important hotspot of Biodiversity.

• High endemism.

• Supplies river water to Deccan Plateau.

WESTERN GHATS

Natural Landscape

Ecosystem

• Evergreen, Semi evergreen, Deciduous

forests

• Basalt and Lateritic Plateau tops

• Coastal vegetation, marine ecosystem.

WESTERN GHATS

Traditional Cultural Landscape

People

Maratha farmers of hill slopes.

Tribal groups- Mahadeo kolis, Katkaris, Warlis

Paddy in flood plains

Hill slope mixed cultivation - ‘rab’ cultivation.

WESTERN GHATS

Traditional Cultural Landscape

• Ancient tradition of

Sacred groves

• Hot specks of

diversity.

• Tiger goddess.

• The ‘kaul’ ceremony.

WESTERN GHATS/ COASTAL BELT

Traditional Cultural Landscape

The landuse – Paddy / farmers.

The Warli art and its tradition: – Jivya Soma Mahshe and the Warli paintings.

The folktales.

Landscape approach to management

of the Western Ghats

• Natural landscape values

– Forest

– Water sources

– Plateau’s of endemic plants

• Cultural landscape values

– Sacred Groves

– Forts and surrounds

– Agriculture – Indigenous crop varieties

– Pastoralism - Livestock varieties

Natural

Landscape

• Corridors between

PA’s – Crestline

forest plateaus and

escarpments.

• ESA extent and

coverage

WESTERN GHATS

Cultural Landscape

• Biological diversity in paddy lands, grazing

areas, forest use.

• People’s participation through: – BMC’s/PBR’s/ABS/BHS

– Through education-Schools / Colleges

– For tourists and adjacent urban and city dwellers

– IC’s and Ecotourism, homestays.

Hotspecks

Management• ‘Super hot specks’ – Jump

sites.

• Permeable matrix

management

• Corridoring possibilities

• ESA surrounds – PA Buffers

Impacts

• Mining, Neo-townships,

Roads – Irreversible

• Agriculture, grazing, fire –

Reversible by eco-

development

COASTAL REGION

Natural Landscapes

Ecosystems- Terrestrial: Coastal forests, coastal plains, mangroves - Mumbai

Marine: Angria Bank Coral reef, Malwan sanctuary

Coastal grasses

Fauna: Estuarine birds, Turtle nesting sites- Velas. Fish and crustacea.

People : Paddy/ Coconut farming/ Fisher folk.

Impacts:

• Overfishing.

• Conversion of coastal plains to Urbanization.

• Ports

• Thermal power plants

• Tourism

• Climate change

COASTAL REGION

Traditional Cultural Landscape

Wetland / Lakes/ Rivers

Natural → Seminatural → Human dominated waterscapes

• Fishing

• Farming

• Resource use areas

• Ecotourism