Synergistic Threats: Climate Change and Anthropogenic Pressure on Western Ghats Biodiversity

A. S. Deepthi

Synergistic Threats: Climate Change and Anthropogenic Pressure on Western Ghats Biodiversity

Author(s)	A. S. Deepthi
Country	India
Abstract	The Western Ghats of India, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world's eight 'hottest hotspots' of biological diversity, faces a severe conservation crisis due to the synergistic effects of climate change and escalating anthropogenic pressures. The paper is an attempt to explore the emerging synergistic threats to the Western Ghats World Heritage Site due to climate change and anthropogenic pressure. This unique mountain chain, older than the Himalayas, is recognized for its immense global importance in conserving biological diversity, influencing the Indian monsoon weather pattern and harbouring an exceptionally high level of endemism. However, the climate-driven challenges are profoundly compounded by intense human activities across the Ghats. Widespread threats include agricultural expansion, livestock grazing, illegal hunting and the extraction of forest products such as fuelwood and fodder, which lead to habitat degradation and local species extinction. Incessant infrastructure development is severely disrupting connectivity for wide-ranging species like the Asian Elephant and Tiger. The proliferation of plantations for has displaced vast patches of natural forests, while urbanization and pollution, particularly from agricultural and domestic sources, severely impact both terrestrial and critically important freshwater ecosystems. The interaction between these climatic and anthropogenic factors creates a vicious cycle which in turn increases the vulnerability of ecosystems to human disturbances. Thus, urgent and coordinated conservation responses that integrate climate resilience with strategies to mitigate anthropogenic threats to safeguard this invaluable global heritage are the need of the hour.
Keywords	Western Ghats, Climate Change, Anthropogenic Pressure, Biodiversity Hotspot, Synergistic Threats
Field	Biology > Agriculture / Botany
Published In	Volume 6, Issue 1, January-June 2015
Published On	2015-02-14
Cite This	Synergistic Threats: Climate Change and Anthropogenic Pressure on Western Ghats Biodiversity - A. S. Deepthi - IJAIDR Volume 6, Issue 1, January-June 2015.

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Synergistic Threats: Climate Change and Anthropogenic Pressure on Western Ghats Biodiversity

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