Biodiversity assessment of Asaniye and Dabhil Landscape from North Western Ghats
Geographical coverage
| Geographical scale of the assessment | Sub-regional |
|---|---|
| Country or countries covered | India |
| Any other necessary information or explanation for identifying the location of the assessment, including site or region name |
Adjoining private forest landscape to Amboli Reserve forest from Sindhudurg district. Wildlife corridor. |
Geographical scale of the assessment
Sub-regional
Country or countries covered
India
Any other necessary information or explanation for identifying the location of the assessment, including site or region name
Adjoining private forest landscape to Amboli Reserve forest from Sindhudurg district. Wildlife corridor.
Conceptual framework, methodology and scope
Assessment objectives
To document the diversity of plants, birds, butterflies, mammals , reptiles and amphibians in privately owned forests
To understand the impact of development activities on biodiversity
To know the extent of dependence of local people on ecosystem services such as water
To build capacity of local people in understanding the diversity of species present in their own landscape, its role in supporting sustainable livelihoods
To communicate importance of landscape in conservation planning to the policy makers
To create evidence for prioritization of the landscape for strict enforcement of various legal provisions of forest conservation act.
Mandate for the assessment
The mandate of assessment was to create evidence for ecological and economic importance of the landscape as well as its importance in biodiversity conservation.
Conceptual framework and/or methodology used for the assessment
Other (please specify)
Global Biodiversity Assessment handbook
URL or copy of conceptual framework developed or adapted
System(s) assessed
- Inland water
- Forest and woodland
- Cultivated/Agricultural land
Species groups assessed
Plants, mammals, birds, butterflies, reptiles, amphibians, spiders and insects
Ecosystem services/functions assessed
Provisioning
- Water
- Medicinal resources
Regulating
- Regulation of water flows
- Erosion prevention
Supporting Services/Functions
- Habitat maintenance
- Soil formation and fertility
Cultural Services
Scope of assessment includes
Drivers of change in systems and services
Yes
Impacts of change in services on human well-being
Yes
Options for responding/interventions to the trends observed
Yes
Explicit consideration of the role of biodiversity in the systems and services covered by the assessment
Yes
Timing of the assessment
Year assessment started
2010
Year assessment finished
2011
If ongoing, year assessment is anticipated to finish
Periodicity of assessment
One off
Assessment outputs
Website(s)
Report(s)
Communication materials (e.g. brochure, presentations, posters, audio-visual media)
Journal publications
Training materials
Other documents/outputs
Tools and processes
Tools and approaches used in the assessment
- Geospatial analysis
- Indicators
Process used for stakeholder engagement in the assessment process and which component
Key stakeholder groups engaged
The number of people directly involved in the assessment process
10-100
Incorporation of scientific and other types of knowledge
- Resource experts (e.g. foresters etc)
- Traditional/local knowledge
Supporting documentation for specific approaches, methodology or criteria developed and/or used to integrate knowledge systems into the assessment
Assessment reports peer reviewed
Yes
Data
Accessibility of data used in assessment
Policy impact
Impacts the assessment has had on policy and/or decision making, as evidenced through policy references and actions
Assessment report has been widely used at the policy level by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert panel, Local communities and advocacy group to defend against ecologically disastrous projects such as mining. Most importantly, the landscape has been now categorized as Ecologically Sensitive Area -I by the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel. As a result, an infinite moratorium has been imposed on the proposed open cast mining project in the landscape by the Ministry of Environment and Forest by the Government.
Independent or other review on policy impact of the assessment
No
Lessons learnt for future assessments from these reviews
Capacity building
Capacity building needs identified during the assessment
There is serious and urgent need to build capacity of assessment team in identification of amphibians, freshwater species- crabs, turtles, otters , fish. Knowing that most of freshwater ecosystems are threatened , the capacity building in taxonomy of freshwater taxa is critical for knowledge generation.
Actions taken by the assessment to build capacity
Network and sharing experiences, Sharing of data/repatriation of data, Communication and awareness raising
How have gaps in capacity been communicated to the different stakeholders
AERF is member of IUCN and we have made every effort to invite experts to address the gaps in capacity building.
Knowledge generation
Gaps in knowledge identified from the assessment
There is significant potential for knowledge generation with respect to different ecosystem services provided by terrestrial ecosystems such as forests, rivers and perennial streams and their relation to health of the forests, their role in providing sustainable livelihoods and providing critical habitat for wildlife. These gaps can only be addressed through another assessment of the landscape.
