THE Western Ghats rise up behind the coastal belt of northern Karnataka in South India. The sunlight has a purity and density in this upland area that you can almost touch. It etches shadows on the dry dark earth. Here the meaning of 'biodiversity' is immediately visible--over 80 species of trees are easily identifiable, traditionally used for medicine, fodder, fruit, fuel and construction.
With the felling and commercialization of this natural forest, the Appiko movement rose: a ...