Photo courtesy Davidson Sargunam >>
Facts and figures: India’s biological, cultural and geographic diversity
Spread over 3,287,240 km2 and despite a total human population of over 1,210,000,000, India represents a wide spectrum of biological, cultural and geographic diversity. It has been identified as one of the top 12 global biodiversity hotspots and has 91 eco-cultural zones inhabited by 4,635 ethnic communities. India also has amongst the largest indigenous/tribal population, constituting 8.08% of the country’s population, representing 461 tribes. The term ‘Indigenous Peoples’ is not officially recognized in the country, instead the Constitution of India uses the term ‘Scheduled Tribes’. The total forest cover is estimated to be approximately 20% of the total area of the country. About 1,70,379 villages with a population of 10,674,334 inhabit areas in close proximity of forests.
Source: RECOGNITION AND SUPPORT OF ICCAs IN INDIA by Neema Pathak Broome and Tushar Dash, p. 4 | PDF-Repository
URL: https://kalpavriksh.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IndiaICCARecognition_Final_SEPT2012-as-published.pdf
Date Visited: 10 March 2025
People belonging to the kani tribe of the forests and hills of Kanyakumari district have wild mushrooms in their diet.
They collect half-a-dozen species of mushrooms from the deep forests of the Western Ghats which has a rich repository of bio-diversity. Since the district receives rainfall from both the southwest and northeast monsoons, it aids in the growth of minor flora like mushrooms. Owing to deforestation, global warming and attendant climate change, forest degradation, fragmentation and allied issues, minor organisms face an imminent threat for survival.
In this context, an environmental educationist S. S. Davidson, has piloted an innovative project to culture mushrooms successfully. The culture was done with paddy hay as the base for growth. The yield was achieved in 18 days.
The kani tribe, which was at the low pedestal of socio-economic ladder, was facing acute and massive destruction of their domesticated agriculture by wild boars, elephants, sambars, porcupines, mouse deer and monkeys. […]
Consequently the tribe would serve to maintain ecological balance and the ethics of environmental sustainability by reducing forest dependence for their survival, said Mr. Davidson.
Source: The Hindu, Nagercoil, 2 March 2009
Address : http://www.hindu.com/2009/03/02/stories/2009030254620600.htm
Date Visited: Mon May 14 2012 16:27:35 GMT+0200 (CEST)
“Cultivating and conserving diversity is no luxury in our times: it is a survival imperative.” – Vandana Shiva >>
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What is the Forest Rights Act about?
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