Traditional Ecological Knowledge, Dilapidated Ethno-Conservation Practices and Impending Impacts among Malayali Tribes of Kolli Hills, Eastern Ghats, India

Local communities are the custodians of biodiversity and traditional knowledge and they are not only losing their rich crop genetic diversity, but also rural livelihoods. These changes have brought negative effects into their domains of knowledge, culture and management of natural resources and have affected their livelihoods significantly. This paper attempts to focus on the lives and livelihoods of the Malayalis of Kolli Hills, especially on three key areas of natural resources and associated traditional knowledge: neglected and underutilized crop species (NUS), sacred forest landscapes and local art forms that highlight ecological relationships. The experiences of several field based projects implemented by the M.S.Swaminathan Research Foundation since 1994 highlights the need for a participatory natural resource management strategy (PNRMS). People friendly pathways is required to be put in place to ensure long-term sustainability of resources in such a landscape so that livelihoods are sustained.

Keywords: Kolli Hills, Malayali Tribes, NUS, PPPPP Model, PNRMS, SACRED, TEK.