Livelihood strategies in southern India: Conservation and poverty reduction in forest fringes

Abstract

Thisvolume is a compilation of essays that focus on livelihood issuesfaced byforest communities of the southern Western Ghats regionof India.Communities living along the fringes of forests are, more often than not, overlooked in academic and policy discussions. However, they face considerable pressures, being sandwiched between conservation endeavours and the forces of urbanization and commercialization. The chapters in this book provide an insight into the kinds of livelihood issues these communitiesface and the potential meansthat can be adopted to sustain these livelihoods. This volumeprovides a unique alternative perspective bylocatinglivelihood issues withinsocio-ecological-economic narratives of communitiesliving at the intersection of the three southern Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, andsuggestsdirections for policies to address these challenges.