Stranger At Home Teak Forests Of Karnataka

Peninsular India is one among the few regions of the world harboring natural teak forests. Karnataka is one of the states in the region that was blessed with extensive teak forests. Due to centuries of heavy exploitation for the prized wood and large-scale artificial introduction of teak since more than a century, the pristine teak forests have shrunk rapidly, being now confined only to a few pockets, mostly in the protected areas. Natural teak has virtually become an endangered species. The book, Stranger at Home – Teak Forests of Karnataka, attempts at sharing some information about the extensive natural teak forests that existed in Karnataka in the distant past. It also dwells upon the history of the development of teak plantations in the state. For various reasons including policy changes, court directives, lack of adequate funds, manpower, etc., management of these plantations has been a challenging task. The impact of monoculture on the biodiversity of the natural forest had also come in for sharper scrutiny and severe criticism. All these developments have somewhat slowed down the activities related to the management of the plantations, at times bordering on inaction. The book discusses various aspects and challenges associated with the management of teak forests and plantations, suggesting ways and means to forge ahead in the context of overall forest conservation with a special focus on biodiversity conservation.

The book, ‘FORESTS OF KARNATAKA - WHY AND HOW OF WHERE THEY ARE,’ attempts at understanding the diverse forests of Karnataka, their current status, and the primary factors that led to their transformation from their pristine (original and un-spoilt) states to the present states. Although formation of different types of forest depends fundamentally upon the general climatic and soil-related factors which vary from place to place, the present conditions of the forests are to a considerable extent reflective of the treatments meted out to them over the centuries. Past treatments of the forests include past forest management practices such as forest reservation, logging, clear-felling, raising plantations, forest protection, etc. as well as other biotic factors such as shifting cultivation, expansion of agriculture, heavy withdrawals of biomass, introduction of plantation crops, recurring fires, over-grazing, encroachments, etc. As a matter of fact, we now have different types of forest in different parts of the state depending upon the nature and intensity of the past interventions. The book while analysing various factors that resulted in degradation of a vast majority of the state’s forests has also suggested ways and means of how the existing forests can be protected from further degradation, enabling them to recover and rejuvenate.

The book, ‘Distribution of trees across the Western Ghats in Karnataka’, provides an analytical overview of how trees and other plants are distributed across various forests of the Western Ghats region in the state of Karnataka in India. The analysis is based on feedback provided by field functionaries of the Karnataka Forest Department (KFD) in pursuance of a project initiated by KFD in collaboration with the Karnataka State Remote Sensing Applications Centre (KSRSAC), Bengaluru, to study various aspects of the state’s forests. Given the enormity of the data regarding trees and other plants adorning the forests of the entire state, the analysis in the present book is limited to the western half of the state’s Western Ghats region comprising the five districts of Belagavi, Uttara Kannada, Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Kodagu. Range-wise segregation of the data has thrown light on various attributes such as forest types, tree distribution, tree association, tree dominance, tree preponderance, etc. in each forest range. Comparative analysis of such information for a cluster of ranges enables understanding of how these attributes change across a larger landscape such as a forest division or a forest circle. Analysis of the data has also provided information about the extent of fragmentation of natural forests due to plantations. Such information can be quite useful in rehabilitating monoculture patches back to natural forest.

Blessed with extensive tracts of natural forest harboring the sandal tree (Santalum album L.), the Indian state of Karnataka was a leading producer of sandalwood, the most valuable product of the tropical forest. However, due to rampant smuggling during the last three-four decades, Karnataka’s sandalwood production slipped to abysmally low levels, with hardly any mature sandal tree being left in the forests. What, however, is providential about the sandal is its resilience to fight for survival in the face of hostile situations. Because of this resilience, sandal has been able not only to survive in areas where it occurred naturally but also to surface in areas where it was not known to have existed in the past. This extraordinary ability of sandal to survive, adjust and propagate against heavy odds provides a beacon of hope that it is still possible to restore the lost glory of sandal in Karnataka’s forests. The book, ‘Down, but Not Out – Sandal in Karnataka’, attempts at sharing some information about the extensive sandal-bearing forests that existed throughout the length and breadth of Karnataka and how they responded to management interventions during the past two hundred years. It also dwells upon the challenges associated with the management of sandal in the context of its rapidly dwindling population and suggests ways and means to re-establish and replenish its depleted stock, ensuring that the new crop of sandal does not face the same fate as the old crop did in the past.

Bamboo is one of the three most important and well-distributed naturally occurring plant species of Karnataka; the other two species are teak (Tectona grandis L.f.) and sandal (Santalum album L.). While bamboo is fairly abundant in the deciduous forests of the Western Ghats region, it can also be found in interior Karnataka as well as in the Eastern Plains. However, large-scale utilization of the state’s enormous natural bamboo resources is not feasible in view of certain issues related to policy and management of the forests. In light of the restricted availability of bamboo from the public forests, growing bamboo under agroforestry and farm forestry to meet the demands of people and industries assumes significance. The book, Bamboo in the Backyard, attempts at providing an overview of the bamboo-bearing forests of Karnataka, their past working, and present status. As its title suggests, the book underscores the need to bring bamboo closer to the people. In recent years, agroforestry, farm forestry and dry-land horticulture have made tremendous strides in Karnataka. Adding bamboo to the list of tree species that are being planted by farmers will add to the plant diversity in their farmlands and aid in enhancing the greenery of the agrarian landscape. Besides supporting and complementing agricultural operations, bamboo can contribute significantly to the farmers’ overall income and general welfare.

Dry Deciduous Forests of Karnataka – Adding Years to Their Life, and to Ours attempts at highlighting various aspects of the dry deciduous forests which once covered large parts of the state of Karnataka and which now occur only in a few, scattered pockets, having been almost entirely wiped out from two vast regions covering three-fourths of the state, namely, interior Karnataka and the Eastern Plains. Although not as imposing as the moist deciduous, semi-evergreen and evergreen forests that are met with in the western part of the state, the dry deciduous forests have high ecological value in terms of biodiversity, soil and water conservation, climate moderation, medicinal properties, protection of agricultural land, etc. Although now restricted in patches dispersed over an almost limitless landscape, these forests have tremendous impact on the surrounding environment. More importantly, these are the last vestiges of natural vegetation in an expansive, open and parched region where the ominous signs of desertification are already perceptible. Conservation and development of these forests, by any means and before it is too late, is of utmost importance for the overall protection and amelioration of the surrounding environment of the state. An attempt has been made in the book in analyzing the various factors that were responsible for pushing these forests to their present dismal state, and in offering a few suggestions regarding restoration and rejuvenation of the vanishing forests.

The book traces the evolution of wildlife management in the state of Karnataka in India. It provides glimpses of how the concept of wildlife management grew as an offshoot of forest management and evolved into an overarching policy initiative. It presents a chronological account of the development of national wildlife policies, plans and strategies and their impact on the wildlife management in the states. The book highlights the events that unfolded as production-centric management gave way to wildlife-centric management in certain designated forest areas, known as Protected Areas. It outlines a significant aspect of wildlife conservation in the state—namely, the immense contribution of a ‘conservation-oriented forest management’ approach that the Forest Department has adopted since the 1980s for management of all types of forests in the state. The challenges faced by wildlife officers in handling matters related to man-animal conflict, rehabilitation of people from protected areas and forest protection with possible suggestions to resolve them are related. The need to take cautious steps in strengthening wildlife tourism and research is emphasized. The book also examines the relative merits of the forest laws and wildlife laws, and calls for wider application of the wildlife laws to protect the vanishing forests, especially in the eastern plains.

This book offers a multidimensional comparative analysis of two large groups of the world's displaced populations : resettlers uprooted by development and refugees fleeing military conflicts or natural calamities. The authors explore common central issues: the condition of being "displaced," the risks of impoverishment and destitu-tion, the rights and entitlements of those uprooted, and, most important, the means of reconstruction of their livelihoods. (Adapté de l'Introduction).