Assignment 2: Course Project Task 1—Topic Selection and Thesis Statement For the
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Question
Assignment 2: Course Project Task 1—Topic Selection and Thesis Statement
For the course project assignment, you will write a research paper about a science topic that you would like to explore in more detail. In this paper, you will explore what is known, what is not known or understood, and how the scientific method comes into play in relation to your topic.
Note that you are free to research any science topic you want. However, you must restrict your topic to one of the sciences discussed in this course—physics, astronomy, geology, chemistry, and biology are the most suitable. You could also research something topical that might be in the news at this time. You can also conduct an Internet search, or you may have something you are interested in.
After you have selected your topic, complete the following:
Write a thesis statement for your research paper.
Write a detailed explanation of what you aim to show in your paper.
Be sure to address the following in this assignment:
Explain why you feel your science topic (or problem) is important to explore.
State what (if anything) is controversial about your topic (or problem).
Relate the scientific method to the topic (or problem) you have identified.
Describe the general direction you plan to take in your paper.
Explanation / Answer
Evaluation of ecosystem services in Ecologically Sensitive Zones of Western
Ghats and determining mechanisms of payments for ecosystem services for
participatory conservation initiatives.
General topic-
Western Ghats which constitute India’s around 6% of land-mass are spread over 160.280 sq. km in
western edge of peninsular India encompassing over 60,000 villages in 6 Indian states (Kasturirangan,
2013) and globally rank seventh in terms of endemism with as much as 11.2% of the original area of this
hotspot is covered under IUCN Protected Area categories I to IV, making it 'third in the world' when
evaluated under criteria of integrity and high long-term conservation potential. 39 highly ecologically
sensitive spots have been identified as world natural heritage cites by UNSECO in 2012 (UNESCO, 2012).
The Western Ghats are home to some of the world's finest non-equatorial tropical evergreen forests
Globally threatened flora and fauna in the Western Ghats are represented by 229 plant, 31 mammal, 15
bird, 43 amphibian, five reptile, one insect and one fish species. Of the globally threatened species in the
Western Ghats, 129 are 'Vulnerable', 145 are 'Endangered' and 51 are 'Critically Endangered' (ATREE,
2012). There are many rivers originate in Western Ghats which supply water to the peninsular India and
therefore, apart from playing a crucial role of arresting monsoon winds, Western Ghats act as a water-
tower for the peninsular India. Considering all these facts Western Ghats and the ecologically sensitive
areas falling under them are no longer only India’s concern but a comprehensive and collective global
responsibility as well as a unique global heritage.
It is against this backdrop there are some critical questions Indian democracy has to answer when it
comes to addressing developmental issues in the region. For past some decades, Western Ghats have
been one of the flash-points in India where economic development versus environmental conservation
are found to be at loggerhead with each other. Mines, commercial plantations, hilly area development,
hydro-power projects, industrial development etc. have been the recent battle grounds. Therefore, it is
of immense importance to understand the value of these rapidly exhausting natural resources and
express it in tangible terms before they perish in the rush for short term economic benefits. Such an
understanding will help us in shaping the participatory natural resources conservation programs which
will aid in strengthening local populations without disturbing the natural habitats. It will eventually lead
to develop the tailor-made development plans and actions for Western Ghats area and other common
forms of economic development which are of deleterious to ecosystems could be subsided in the wake
of informed decision making systems.
Questions this research seeks to answer-
Given the fact that Government of India, through Ministry of Environment and Forests, have had
constituted 3 high-level committees so far to evaluate the natural ecosystems of Western Ghats and
decide the economic development regime this region should embark upon. Considering their
evaluations and the recent growth in the field of environmental economics, there are few most
important but yet unanswered questions this research would seek answers to.
1. What are the district-wise important ecosystems and ecosystem services observed in selected
Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA) in Western Ghats associated with bio-diversity, water, forest
cover, and soil?
2. What could be the standard parameters for evaluating these ecosystem services in monetary
terms with specific to Western Ghats?
3. What is their total tangible value in terms of Indian national Rupee (Symbol - )?
4. What is their current status and how will they operate for next 10 years given the level of
degradation/ threat they have been facing?
5. What are the government initiated actions which will take place in the Western Ghats which
would aggravate these clashes?
6. What will be the likely impact of these degradations- including climate change- on the
beneficiaries of these ecosystem services (GDP of the poor) and what could be mitigation
measures?
7. What should be the parameters for identifying real beneficiaries of monetary incentives to be
given for ensuring sustainable exploitations?
8. How these local communities can be involved in conservation measures so that the conservation
itself becomes their identity than a mere imposed action?
9. How could these models shape the economic development of these communities?
Available key literature and limitations-
Dr. K. Kasturirangan Committee – called as High Level Working Group (HLWG) (Kasturirangan, 2013) has
been successful in determining the boundary of Western Ghats using highly accurate LISS-III satellite
images which turns out to be 160,280 sq. km out of which over 60,000 sq. km have been identified to be
highly ecologically sensitive area (ESA). There have been many prohibitory rules recommended for this
region (ESA) such as moratorium on mining, complete ban on polluting industries, restriction on thermal
power plants etc. to ensure the sustenance of such critically significant area. However, all the three
reports and especially the HLWG report point at the need for evolving Western Ghats specific initiatives
and financial aid mechanisms for this ecologically fragile region so that participatory conservation
operations can work smoothly.
As far as policies are concerned, India follows five year plan system and the current plan is 12 th Five Year
Plan (2012-2017). Union Government of India has may laws, rules and administrative regulations
pertaining to respective categories of environmental issues viz. Forest Conservation act (1980), Forest
Rights act (2006), Wild-life protection Act (1972), Bio-diversity Conservations Act (2002), Environmental
Impact Assessments notification (2006) etc. Landmark act such as Bio-diversity Conservation Act
specifies the rules for maintaining People’s Bio-diversity Registry at village level and explicitly mentions
that the villages and communities safeguarding the precious bio-diversity and natural heritages must be
financially motivated / incentivized for nature conservation. However, deciding on terms of references
was again left open to be decided for context-specific cases whenever such need be arise. Same could
be said about Forest Rights Act in which the rights of tribal communities and natives on the forest lands
have been duly accepted and the conservation programs are being planned centered around ensuring
well-being of these communities. These rules further led to creation of Joint Forest Management (JFM)
activities planned and executed with the help and participation of local/ tribal communities. As far as
new economic developments are concerned, there are separate regulations brought out by Ministry of
Environment and Forests (MoEF), Government of India, called as Environmental Impact Assessment
(EIA) which are mandatory for all kinds of human interventions. Other than these rules, there are
individual Air, and Water Pollution (Prevention and Control) Acts adopted by the Union of India with
over-reaching status on all the states with their respective Forest departments as well as pollution
control boards. Having read through all the literature about government regulations and guidelines, it
becomes clear that these regulations have scope for improvement with regards to-
1. Subtracting the environmental damage caused due to economic activities and projection of true
tangible growth rates.
2. Evolving standard practices/ mechanisms by which-
A. The total value of natural ecosystem functions and services could be evaluated on monetary
terms and
B. Financial incentives could be delivered successfully to the stakeholders as well as their
aspirations of economic development are met without dealing damage to fragile
ecosystems.
Apart from such documents, each constituent state of the country publishes its economic outlook at the
end of every financial year which focuses on the status of crucial sectors of the economy. Union
government also produces the same at the national level.
There have been many research articles underlining the ecological history and endemism of various
species in Western Ghats. The key scientific literature to be studied for this type of research would also
involve geo-spatial analysis like this one (Shaily Menon, 1997) as well as valuation of ecosystem services
methods broadly outlined by TEEB synthesis report (TEEB, 2010), inputs from Millennium Ecosystem
Assessment, commonly known as MA, (House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, 2006),
recent developments in the field of payments for ecosystem services (Matthew Cranford, 2011).
However, such types of approaches have never been tried in Western Ghats, particularly in ESZ areas
where the need for such an approach is immense. On similar lines, there has been an attempt to
evaluate the coastal ecosystem in selected states in India out of which only Kerala falls under Western
Ghats intersected area (Kumar, 2012). Some activists have also documented the river sancturies in
Western Ghats and their contribution for the well-being of the nature (Dandekar, 2011). It shows that
there is a potential for such a holistic evaluation to take place at other places in Western Ghats too. As
far as mitigation of climate change is concerned, the govenrmnet of India admits that Western Ghats are
one of the 4 critically stressed ecosystems in the nation along with Himalayas, Coastal areas, North East
regions (Indian Network for Climate Change Assessment, 2010). Hence, it is essnetial to deal with them
carefully.
Main hypotheses for this work
Following are the major hypothesis of the proposed research-work
1. As the population going to increase, there will be a significant stress on India’s natural resources
especially in Western Ghats. The most severe impact would be seen on land, water and forest
areas (eventually on wild-lives).
2. Such a competition, apart from dealing a healthy damage on environment, is also going to affect
the livelihood of tribal communities which depend on such ecosystems creating more social
problems and unrests.
3. Therefore, for equitable distribution of growth opportunities and benefits, it is essential to have
natural ecosystem services evaluated for their contribution to economic activities. So that their
due importance in decision making processes is given for their tangible contribution.
4. For empowering the communities, it is crucial to support and nurture their traditional practices
based on sustainable exploitation of nature.
5. While doing this, to address the concerns pertaining to economic development, India must try
to innovate new and green technologies affordable to commons and maintain the robust
growth platform.
Methodology
1. To try and find answers to the questions posed in the earlier section, it is crucial to select a
representative sample districts (administrative blocks) from the states of Maharashtra and Goa
based on the conditions mentioned below. The states chosen are because Marathi is commonly
spoken language in these two states. Comparatively, having spent considerable time in
Maharashtra and Goa, I know their languages and even most of the issues in the Western Ghats
areas.
2. To identify representative districts, districts with highest number of ESZ villages, preferably
villages satisfying minimum three of following parameters will be given preference viz. villages
with sacred grooves, the UNSECO natural heritage site tag, elephant corridors, tiger reserves,
river origin places, sanctuaries, protected areas etc. Such ESZ villages with current or proposed
governmental interventions would also be included since they would help in identifying the loss
of natural systems and can help in projecting a contrasting picture of the economic
development.
3. These villages would be evaluated for their demographic properties (population trend, sex ratio)
and prominent economic activities which shape the development profile of that region. Maps,
data sheets and records required for such purposes could be obtained from various government
departments in person and / or through online mode.
4. Based on that, the current ecosystem services these people benefit from will be evaluated by
identifying their contribution in current economic practices. The tangible values of such
practices will be determined using the amount of value addition they aid in as well as the market
prices. It is quite possible that the context specific evaluation practices would emerge in the due
course of the proposed research. Help of geo-spatial imagery is also envisaged especially in case
of identifying different natural habitats and ecosystems in this exercise. Satellite images of India
are extensively made available by ISRO- Indian Space Research Organization.
5. Total economic value for those ecosystem services will be arrived at using additional guidance
from TEEB models.
6. Impacts of ongoing or proposed human intervention will be calculated based on the loss of
natural ecosystems they would eventually result in.
7. In the selected areas, after identifying values of ecosystem services, model for payment of
ecosystem services would be developed so that the villages get incentives for sustainably
exploiting the nature and natural ecosystems.
8. Identification of crucial beneficiaries will be a crucial exercise in this regard and modes and
mechanisms will be evolved for ensuring full proof, transparent payment methods as well as
conditions for how these funds should be utilized.
9. Benefits arising from such methods as well as all the direct, indirect benefits arising from
ecosystem services will be compared with the existing economic activities taking place in the
same region. The comparison will be focused on the issues of inter and intra generational equity
of benefits as well as prospects for the environment.
10. Measures for mitigation from impending climate change (if there are any, in the study area) will
be suggested. Such an exercise will only be of suggestive in nature.
Therefore, a comprehensive analysis of the study area, common ecosystem services being used, their
value in tangible terms, measures for conservation of natural resources, financial incentives to local
communities for conservation and steps to conserve the ecosystems in these regions will be specified in
the study. This kind of an exercise will be one of its kind in the ecologically sensitive areas in Western
Ghats. It will go long way in shaping the policy dynamics of the region.