Ecology of the Western Ghâts

Objectives

The Western Ghats is one of the thoroughly researched areas with ample scientific publications over a period of years. In spite of this, the Western Ghats, unlike several regions in neotropics, Africa and Southeast Asia is still not very well known to majority of the biologists and other scientific communities outside India. In order to highlight the geographical, biological and cultural importance of the Western Ghats and to disseminate this information in a more concise way, the French Institute is planning to bring out an editorial book through an international publisher.

Based on a previous meeting held in Pondicherry in November 2005, it was agreed that the book should give emphasis on biogeography and ecology on one hand, and on the other on human ecology, forest management and conservation backed with historical account. It is also agreed upon that the book should be technical to semi-technical and catering the needs of researchers and students for future research prospects and also as a reference book for scholars and biodiversity managers. There is, indeed, a blatant lack of synthetic information about the results of the extensive and high quality researches, which have been carried out in the Western Ghats throughout the last decades.

The objective of the seminar was to adjust the overall organization of the book and the content of the chapter as well as to decide about a timetable of the successive stages of the writing.

The contributors of this editorial volume are both Indian and French specialists who worked in the Western Ghats several years in different spheres ranging from Geology and geomorphology (G. Bourgeon, Y. Gunnel) to Biogeography (VM Meher-Homji), Vegetation (JP Pascal, BR Ramesh, N. Parthasarathy, P Couteron, R Plelissier), plant animal interactions (R Borges, T. Ganesh, Soubadra Devi, Rani Krishnan), faunal studies (R. Daniels, Ullas Karanth, R. Sukumar, AJT John Singh, Ajith Kumar) and human ecology and forest management (S Lele, R. Gurukkal, Dilip Kumar, K. Krishnan)

Programme

Friday, 10th August 2007

Organisers

French Institute of Pondicherry (IFP)

Coordinators

B.R. Ramesh (IFP), P. Couteron (IFP)

Participants

• Dr. P. Couteron (IFP)
• Dr. BR Ramesh (IFP)
• Dr. Sharad Lele (Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Environment & Development)
• Dr. Dilip Kumar (Karnataka Forest Department, Bangalore)
• Prof. Rajan Gurukkal (Director, School of Social Sciences, Kottayam)
• Dr. K. Kunhi Krishnan (School of Social Sciences, Kottayam)
• Dr. Ranjit Daniels (Director, Care Earth, Chennai)
• Dr. N. Parthasarathy (School of Ecology, Pondicherry University, Pondicherry)
• Dr. T. Ganesh (ATREE, Bangalore)
• Dr. Soubadra Devi (ATREE, Bangalore)
• Dr. K. Ullas Karanth (Wildlife Conservation Society, Bangalore)
• Dr. AJT Johnsingh (Wildlife Conservation Society, Bangalore)
• Dr. Ajith Kumar (Course Co-Director Wildlife Program, National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bangalore)
• Dr. Sukumar (Center for Ecological Sciences, Bangalore)
• Dr. Renee M Borges (Center for Ecological Sciences, Bangalore)

Venue

Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Environment & Development, ISEC Campus, Nagarabhavi, Bangalore 560 072