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Nature Conservation
“What we are doing to the forests of the world is but a mirror reflection of what we are doing to ourselves and to one another”
– Mahatma Gandhi
India’s Unique Biodiversity
India’s biodiversity is globally significant, marked by its vast variety of ecosystems, species, and genetic resources. Here’s what makes it unique:
- Megadiverse Nation: India is one of the 17 megadiverse countries, harboring about 8% of the world’s recorded species despite covering only 2.4% of the Earth’s land area.
- Varied Ecosystems: The country has an extraordinary range of ecosystems, from the icy Himalayas to tropical rainforests, arid deserts, coastal mangroves, and coral reefs.
- Endemism: India has a high level of endemism, with many species of plants, animals, and microorganisms found nowhere else. For instance, the Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, hosts numerous endemic species.
- Biogeographic Zones: India is divided into 10 biogeographic zones, including the Himalayas, Western Ghats, Deccan Peninsula, and Sundarbans, each with distinct biodiversity.
- Cultural and Biodiversity Interdependence: Indian traditions and livelihoods are deeply connected with nature, reflected in sacred groves, sustainable farming practices, and conservation ethos.
- Biodiversity Hotspots: India has four of the world’s 36 biodiversity hotspots: the Himalayas, Indo-Burma region, Western Ghats, and Sundaland (including the Nicobar Islands).
- Diverse Fauna and Flora: India is home to iconic species like the Bengal tiger, Asiatic lion, Indian elephant, and one-horned rhinoceros, alongside a rich diversity of medicinal plants and crops.
This unique biodiversity underpins India’s ecological, cultural, and economic fabric, making its conservation a priority.
Conservation Needs
The conservation needs of our landscape require innovative, dynamic and multi-disciplinary solutions like mitigating human – wildlife conflict, addressing the management needs of the Asian elephant via continued research and technological development, as well as understanding the anthropocentric impact on nature and on people.
Some of the pertinent challenges of the landscape are:
1. Human – Wildlife Conflict
2. Land use changes and rampant urbanization
3. Negative impacts on people, their livelihoods, health & culture
4. Climate Change & its impact on ecosystems & animals
A major conservation concern in the global south, in countries such as India, is the management of human and wildlife interactions, especially in fragile human dominated areas. As per recent government reports Bannerghatta and Hosur are some of the most conflict prone areas in South India.
Bannerghatta National Park is situated at the northernmost tip of the Eastern Ghats in peninsular India. It is a highly fragmented and linear tract of forest contiguous to its south towards sparsely covered protected areas of North & South Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuaries networks belonging to the adjoining state of Tamil Nadu as well as other reserves in Karnataka.
A Rocha India's role
We believe in focusing our efforts locally, while keeping in mind the larger goal of global nature conservation. As a moral duty towards our constitution and the magnanimous natural heritage of India, we work via the disciplines of conservation and social sciences to help protect nature.
Having a focal area approach to conservation, A Rocha India has pioneered scientific research in the Bannerghatta-Hosur landscape using conservation and social science techniques to understand the landscape and its people better. Our research contributions span different taxas, local people groups and their dynamic interactions with a keen interest in the conservation of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and its habitats.
The Asian Elephant Conservation Programme (AECP) is A Rocha India’s flagship program and longest running ecological study on the Asian elephants in the Bannerghatta-Hosur Landscape. The AECP is aimed at finding a solution that will benefit both local people and elephants.
Some of our efforts in the past include testing of a chili-tobacco fence/barrier to prevent crop raiding in individual farm plots and the installation of bio-acoustic systems to deter elephants from farmlands. Our research has enabled strategic mitigation recommendations and effective education and awareness programs.
© 2024 A Rocha India
National Office & Field Study Centre
#13, Kaserguppe Village,
Bilwardahalli (Dakle), Bannerghatta (Post),
Jigani (Hobli), Anekal (Taluk),
Bangalore South-560083
Karnataka – IN