XVI International Botanical Congess

In much of the tropical world, where livelihoods are dependent upon the intense use of products and services from local ecosystems, conservation of biological diversity is a major challenge. In Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary in southwest India, where, Soligas, the indigenous people of the region , depend upon a range of non timber forest products to sustain their livelihoods, we are testing the hypothesis that approaches based on the provision of economic incentives from local biological resources can enhance conservation. The three interrelated components of the project, enterprises, ecological monitoring, and community outreach, have enhanced rural incomes and promoted participatory resource monitoring. Scientific monitoring has focused on anthropogenic impacts on structure and function of the forest ecosystems in the sanctuary. I describe the approaches used in the project, and comment on the applicability of these approaches to other places.