By Team Mangalorean, Mangalore

Mangalore, Feb 24: Dakshina Kannada, a land of varied geographical and biological features, has always enchanted scientists and conservationists. The narrow strip of land, with a length of 90 km, between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats can prove to be a researcher's delight if it is taken up for a comprehensive biodiversity study.
 
The second series of the biodiversity register on Mittabagilu, Savanalu, Malavanthige, Kadirudyavara, Melanthabettu and Munduru in Belthangady taluk of the local non-government organisation, Nagarika Seva Trust, has showed rapid changes in the biodiversity pattern, geographical features, and animal profile and count.
 
The study conducted by the trust and the Centre for Environmental Education, New Delhi, shows that trends of change in biodiversity in these six villages could be happening all over the Western Ghats, particularly in the periphery of the Kudremukh National Park and reserve forests.

Vidya Nayak, coordinator of the project, told Mangalorean.com that the recent studies showed that many places in these six villages had shown rapid changes in the biodiversity profile. The plant and animal diversity had undergone changes owing to the introduction of trees such as cashew and Gaali by the Forest Department. As a result of this, the hillocks of the Western Ghats had lost their undergrowth considered a rich treasure of herbs and medicinal plants.
 
Ms. Nayak recalled that there used to be shrubs called Ollaekudi, which was used for treating herpes, and Eshwara Beru used in treating snakebites. They had vanished from these hillocks. The Nelligudde, which not long ago had several Amla trees, had also vanished.
 
She said the taluk had 4,000 species of trees, plants, medicinal herbs, shrubs, creepers, climbers, roots, and bulbs, according to the biodiversity inventory of the Forest Department. The trust's biodiversity register showed irreparable damage to natural dispersion of seeds, plant multiplication, change of migration routes of animals due to industrial projects, and bifurcation, diversion, and fragmentation of minor rivers that originate in the Western Ghats. The felling of trees would bring back forgotten diseases that affect wild animals, cattle, and human beings.
 
Ms. Nayak said strict administrative norms had divested pastures in some tribal areas from the user groups. According to Madhav Gadgil, senior scientist on biodiversity, the Biological Diversity Act had created significant space for involving people at the grassroots in conservation activities. This Act was a response to a number of new emerging concerns, the result of new developments in technology, in particular, biotechnology and information technology, and the ongoing degradation of the environment.

These developments implied that all organisms, even the seemingly insignificant ones such as germs, worms, weeds, and mice, were potentially resources of considerable value. The Act was a part of an attempt to act on these two important provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity. This formidable task could only be undertaken by making conservation and sustainable use and equitable sharing of benefits of biodiversity a people's movement. Biodiversity could be protected only with the cooperation of the masses.