Forest conservation through traditional knowledge- a case study of Soliga tribes in Karnataka
Student name: Mr Ketan Birla
Guide: Dr Swarup Dutta
Year of completion: 2017
Host Organisation: Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE)
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Sidappa Shetty R
Abstract: The study includes the role of traditional knowledge and the monitoring of
resources in terms of forest conservation. In this study, the ways in which the
forest can be preserved are elaborated upon. We examined the different
techniques and approaches that were followed by a particular tribal community
known as the “soligaâ€, two diverse communities residing in two different areas
of Western Ghats have been selected for the study, Malai Madeshwara Wildlife
Sanctuary and the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve. We have
examined the periphery of the traditional knowledge concerned with the
resources and the community monitoring techniques through a detailed semi
structured interviews and through focus group discussions. The elderly people
were preferred for the study as they in all likelihood possess a rich knowledge
about the forest and would have witnessed the transformation of the forest
themselves. The participation of the community in the monitoring process has
also been studied. The findings of the study have indicated that the community
follows the same traditional way of conservation for the forest and to extract the
resources from the forest.Whereas, the traditional knowledge is concerned with
the forest resources, their way of extraction and the monitoring deals with the
resources as well as the landscape. In terms of monitoring, the community has
been following the footsteps of their ancestorsand emulating the same tactics for
resources as well as the landscape. The role of different institutions in terms of
forest conservation and the framework for the monitoring is also contemplated
on, through the channels of detailed social interviews and house hold surveys.
Keywords: monitoring, conservation, traditional knowledge, soliga, community
participation, Western Ghats.
