scholarly journals Planning and Managing Hill Stations in the Northern Western Ghats

2014 ◽  
Vol 26-27 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manasi Karandikar
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Irreversible Damage ◽  
Tropical Country ◽  
The Hill ◽  
The Western Ghats

In a tropical country like India, where the climate is predominantly hot and dry, Hill Stations haveserved as great retreats for summer vacations. The hill stations are mainly service centers, providingcomfortable stay and travel for tourists. Being tourism destinations, the thrust is always given onincreasing the number of tourists. In recent past, tourist traffic at hill stations has increased significantlyand support infrastructure is being developed for the tourists.The limiting factors that should have natural control over such development are overlooked. This hascaused irreversible damage to the local natural resources, ecology and support systems. Unless a limit onthe total number of visitors is enforced at every destination and followed meticulously, it would not bepossible to maintain aesthetics, atmosphere, sound infrastructure and ecology for these destinations.Importantly, desires and aspirations of local people with their skill set should be integrated in the overallplan.In Maharashtra, majority of existing and upcoming hill stations are in the Western Ghats. Consideringthe ecological fragility of Western Ghats and various life supporting services given by this mountain range,ideally it is not recommended to have any large scale developmental projects. For projects that have alreadybeen approved, interventions to reduce current degradation & restore the near original ecosystem in the areaare now urgently necessary. It is important and possible to cater to the needs of local communities andecosystems and create models with economic benefits in a different way than promoting large scale areadevelopment projects. All future progress should be purely in the interest of maintaining ecologicalintegrity and not short-term economic value. This will need more detailed studies and change in policies.This article uses case studies of two such hill stations, which are also notified ESZ (Ecologically SensitiveZone) in Maharashtra to illustrate the above considerations. The article also evolves a ‘Planning andManagement Strategy’ that could be useful as foundation for upcoming destinations to integrate theecological perspective in the process of planning and development.

scholarly journals Characteristics of Summer Precipitation around the Western Ghats and the Myanmar West Coast

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dibas Shrestha ◽  
Rashila Deshar ◽  
Kenji Nakamura
Keyword(s):  
West Coast ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Summer Precipitation ◽  
Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission ◽  
Precipitation Radar ◽  
Maximum Rainfall ◽  
Trmm Precipitation ◽  
The Western Ghats ◽  
Coastal Mountain

Characteristics of summer (June–August) precipitation over two coastal mountain regions in South Asia (Western Ghats: WG and Myanmar West Coast: MWC) with a focus on topographic impact are analyzed using the 13-year (1998–2010) high spatial resolution (0.05° × 0.05°) version 6 data obtained from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) Precipitation Radar (PR). A relationship between precipitation patterns and topography was observed in the coastal mountains. In both the WG and MWC, maximum rainfall along a tight line on the upwind side of the coastal mountains is primarily attributed to rain frequency. However, intense precipitation was observed over the offshore regions. Compared with the WG, deeper and large-scale precipitation systems develop over the MWC, producing more intense rainfall. It is suggested that insufficient humidity deters large-scale convection over the WG, and the atmosphere is sufficiently moist over the MWC.

scholarly journals Current Scenario of Air Quality in and Around the Vicinity of Maruthamalai Hill Shrine, Coimbatore

2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 1410-1413
Author(s):  
M. Thamaraikannan ◽  
Dr M. Balakrishnan ◽  
Dr.S. Suresh Kumar
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Heavy Traffic ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Coimbatore District ◽  
Current Scenario ◽  
Living Organisms ◽  
The Hill ◽  
The Western Ghats

Air is one the major source for all living organisms to sustain on the earth. Nowadays due to heavy traffic and industrial population most of the cities are affected by air pollution. In this research the Marudhamalai Hill Shrine was selected as the study area to monitor the air quality in its vicinity. Marudhamalai is located on the Western Ghats in Coimbatore district. It is famous for the Murugan temple located on it as people from Coimbatore and other parts of India visit every year. From the results it was clear that the forest surrounding the hill shrine not have medicinal plants but these plants help in to maintain the air quality parameters resulting in the quality to be within the prescribed limits.

scholarly journals Autumn – winter minimum temperature changes in the southern Sikhote-Alin mountain range of northeast Asia since 1509 AD

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olga N. Ukhvatkina ◽  
Alexander M. Omelko ◽  
Alexander A. Zhmerenetsky ◽  
Tatyana Y. Petrenko
Keyword(s):  
Solar Activity ◽  
Minimum Temperature ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Russian Far East ◽  
Far East ◽  
Northeast Asia ◽  
Winter Season ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Sikhote Alin

Abstract. The aim of our research was to reconstruct climatic parameters (for the first time for the Sikhote-Alin mountain range) and to compare them with global climate fluctuations. As a result, we have found that one of the most important limiting factors for the study area is the minimum temperatures of the previous autumn-winter season (August–December), and this finding perfectly conforms to that in other territories. We reconstructed the previous August–December minimum temperature for 505 years, from 1509 to 2014. We found three cold periods (1650–1681, 1791–1853, 1865–1918) and four warm periods (1509–1529, 1562–1583, 1747–1781, and 1944–2014). These periods correlate well with reconstructed data for the Northern Hemisphere and the neighboring territories of China and Japan. Our reconstruction has 2–4, 9-,11, 48 and 189-year periods, which are in line with high-frequency fluctuations in ENSO, the short-term solar cycle, PDO fluctuations and the de-Vier quazi-200 solar activity cycle, respectively. We have confirmed the climatic response to solar activity, which corresponds to cold periods during the solar minimum. These comparisons show that our climatic reconstruction based on tree-ring chronology for this area may potentially provide a proxy record for long-term, large-scale past temperature patterns for northeast Asia. The reconstruction reflects the global traits and local variations in the climatic processes of the southern territory of the Russian Far East for more than the past 500 years.

H2020 'PHUSICOS': Nature-based solutions to reduce hydro-meteorological risk in rural mountain areas

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anders Solheim ◽  
Amy Oen ◽  
Bjørn Kalsnes ◽  
Vittoria Capobianco
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Rock Fall ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Mountainous Regions ◽  
Living Lab ◽  
Starting Point

<p>Nature-based solutions (NBS) are "inspired and supported by nature. They are cost-effective and simultaneously provide environmental, social and economic benefits and help build resilience" (EU, 2015). The main objective of the H2020 project PHUSICOS is to demonstrate the implementation of nature-based solutions to reduce the risk of extreme weather events in vulnerable areas such as rural mountain landscapes. To meet this aim, three large-scale demonstration sites have been selected in Tuscany, Italy, The Pyrenees, France/Spain and the Gudbrandsdalen Valley, Norway as representative of hydro-meteorological hazards, vegetation, topography and infrastructure throughout rural and mountainous regions in Europe. Additionally, two small-scale concept cases are established in Kaunertal Valley, Austria and the Isar River Basin, Germany to test specific challenges. This presentation focuses on the three large scale demonstrator sites.</p><p>PHUSICOS started in 2018 and over the four-year period each demonstrator site shall propose and implement at least three NBS projects each. At present 9 NBSs have been proposed.</p><p>The Italian proposals, organized by Autorità di Bacino Distrettuale, ADBS, relate to the pollution, drought, erosion, and land degradation around lake Massaciuccoli in Tuscany. The measures are related to reduce the runoff from farmland to the channels and the lake, as well as to reduce the high salinity of the lake. Proposed measures include feeding water from the Serchio River to the lake, and the establishment of vegetation buffer strips between the farmed land and the channels and retention basins.</p><p>In the Pyrenees, the proposed measures, organized by Consorcio de la Comunidad de Trabajo de los Pirineos, CTP, are to reduce risk from several hydrometeorological hazards; flooding and torrents, erosion, snow avalanches and rock fall. The measures include afforestation to reduce snow avalanche release, modification of river banks and beds to reduce torrent hazard, revegetation to reduce erosive rock fall from till deposits, and the use of local wood to prevent release of rock fall as well as forest management to reduce block velocity and runout.</p><p>The Norwegian NBS proposal, organized by Oppland County Administration, is to reduce flooding, erosion, and problematic redeposition in a confluence zone between a tributary and the main river. The measure is a green, receded barrier, to provide flooding space for the river and secure adequate conditions for the riparian vegetation and several red-list species.</p><p>PHUSICOS aims to involve stakeholders in Living Lab processes at the demonstration sites and has succeeded to different degrees depending on the starting point of the NBSs towards their implementation. Baseline surveys of key monitoring parameters are also being performed for selected measures at the three sites.</p><p>The main challenges include getting the most representative stakeholders involved in the Living Lab process, and, perhaps most important, adhering to the local laws and regulations, including environmental and tendering processes. These local regulations are already delaying the progress towards implementation of the measures within the time frame of PHUSICOS. The presentation will elaborate on the selected NBS, their co-benefits and on the challenges, which may be limiting factors for such projects.</p>

scholarly journals In vitro regeneration approaches for restoration of Ceropegia mohanramii—an endemic and critically endangered asclepiad

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Avinash A. Adsul ◽  
Jaykumar J. Chavan ◽  
Nikhil B. Gaikwad ◽  
Rajaram V. Gurav ◽  
Ghansham B. Dixit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Butyric Acid ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
In Vitro Regeneration ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Ms Medium ◽  
Regeneration System ◽  
The Western Ghats ◽  
Flowering In Vitro

Abstract The study aimed to develop an efficient, rapid, and large-scale in vitro regeneration system for propagation, conservation, and restoration of an endemic and critically endangered herb, Ceropegia mohanramii. The cultures were established using nodal explants on Murashige and Skoog’s (MS) medium supplemented with 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP: 1.0 mg/l). Nodal buds cultured on MS medium supplemented with BAP (2.0 mg/l) along with indole-3-butyric acid (IBA, 0.5 mg/l) resulted with production of maximum number of shoots (17.1 ± 1.2) in hundred percent of the cultures. MS medium supplemented with BAP (2.0 mg/l) along with diverse concentrations of indole-3acetic acid (IAA) promoted the in vitro flowering. In vitro regenerated shoots were transferred to one-half MS medium fortified with singular supplementation of auxins, where IBA (1.5 mg/l) served optimal for production of maximum number of roots (5.7 ± 0.6). In vitro derived plantlets were hardened under controlled conditions in a glasshouse and subsequently transferred to soil. Over 1200 saplings were transplanted to eight different localities of the Western Ghats where over 76% survival is recorded after 1 year of transplantation.

An ecological review of the WGEEP report (2011) and environmental management planning in India

2014 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 712-722 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud ◽  
Priya Davidar
Keyword(s):  
Civil Society ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Environment Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Working Definition ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
The Western Ghats

Purpose – The Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India, set up the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) in March 2010 to provide guidelines for improved management within the Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot. The WGEEP's Mandate was to identify ecologically sensitive areas (ESAs). The Panel submitted their report in 2011 but it remained unimplemented. It was not clear whether the delay was due to the unwillingness of civil society to accept ambitious environment management plans, or whether the report had shortcomings. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The authors undertook a critique of the WGEEP report and its Mandate, to evaluate key issues that could have prevented its implementation. Findings – The analysis indicated that the WGEEP Mandate was ill-defined and the WGEEP report identified ESAs without providing a working definition. The absence of critical review of earlier environment management failures, the delayed dialogue with civil society, the absence of legislative foundation upon which such a management plan could be implemented, and the vague definition of ESAs were possibly the reasons for the unease among various stakeholders. Originality/value – The paper stresses that in order for large-scale biodiversity management projects to succeed, it is important that first, the civil society understands the project's objective before its initiation, second stakeholders are formally involved alongside ecological experts and third, that methods are critically reviewed. The lack of acceptance of the report cannot be dismissed only as a rejection of enlightened practices.

scholarly journals A Scientific study of Forests of the Western Ghats

2021 ◽  
pp. 52-64
Author(s):  
Geethanjali T.M.
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Scientific Study ◽  
World Heritage Site ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Indian States ◽  
Deccan Plateau ◽  
The Western Ghats

The Western Ghats in India’s Deccan Plateau has been recognized as one of the eight “hottest hot-spots” of biological diversity in the world. UNESCO has identified this region as a World Heritage Site. In Maharashtra, this mountain range is known as ‘Sahyadri’, ‘Dang forests’ in Gujarat, ‘Nilgiris’ in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, and ‘Malnad’ in Karnataka. It stretches across the six Indian states of Gujrat, Maharashtra, Goa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and two union territories including Daman and Diu and Pondicherry. These hills begin near the border of Gujarat and Maharashtra, south of the Tapti river, and end at Kanyakumari, at the southern tip of India, covering an incredible 1,60,000 sq.km. In the 18th and 19th centuries, most of the people who classified the flora of these regions are hobbyists. Very few British Officers who conduct survey of this landscape release their books. A complete scientific study of this biodiversity hot-spot is yet to be undertaken. Until now, only a handful of scientists have undertaken a study of the Western Ghats. So, this present article expains a brief scientific study of the forests of the Western Ghats.

Effects of drought on wildfires in forest landscapes of the Western Ghats, India

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 431 ◽  
Author(s):  
Narendran Kodandapani ◽  
Sean A. Parks
Keyword(s):  
Western Ghats ◽  
Wildland Fire ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Climate Variation ◽  
Mountain Range ◽  
Area Burned ◽  
Fire Activity ◽  
In Fire ◽  
The Western Ghats

Wildland fire is an understudied yet highly important disturbance agent on the Indian subcontinent. In particular, there is uncertainty regarding the degree to which annual climate variation influences inter-annual variability in fire activity. In this study, we evaluate wildland fire at two complementary spatial scales in the southern portion of the Western Ghats mountain range (hereafter ‘Western Ghats’) in India. At the larger regional scale, we evaluate temporal and spatial variability in fire activity from 2001 to 2015. At the smaller scale, we evaluate the relationship between annual area burned and climate variation within two landscapes nested within the Western Ghats (from c. 1996 to 2015). At the regional scale, we found that most fire activity was restricted to January–March, although substantial inter-annual variation was evident. For example, in 2004, 2009 and 2012, fire activity was approximately five times greater compared with the 3 years with the lowest fire activity. The landscape-scale analysis also revealed weak to strong correlations between annual area burned and climate variation in both landscapes. Although not the only factor influencing area burned, episodes of drought could be exerting an increasingly significant effect on wildfire activity in the Western Ghats.

Indian Monsoon Precipitation over Orography: Verification and Enhancement of understanding – Outcomes of the IMPROVE project

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Turner ◽  
Jennifer Fletcher ◽  
Kieran Hunt ◽  
Jayesh Phadtare ◽  
Stephen Griffiths ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Diurnal Cycle ◽  
Extreme Events ◽  
Western Ghats ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Wrf Model ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Western Disturbances ◽  
Orographic Rainfall ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Western Ghats

<p>IMPROVE is motivated by the effects of orography on Indian precipitation as part of the diurnal cycle of convection, contributing to water supply, as well as its role in extreme events.  IMPROVE considers two focal regions.  The Western Ghats, which intercept the monsoon flow across the Arabian Sea, receive some of the most frequent and heaviest rainfall during summer as well as being subject to extremes such as the 2018 Kerala floods.  Meanwhile, the Himalayas play a vital role in separating dry midlatitude flows from tropical airmasses and are subject to extremes during the summer monsoon, as well as in winter due to the passage of western disturbances.  This presentation summarizes the key results of IMPROVE.  Firstly, we examine the impact of orography on the observed convective diurnal cycle and assess its simulation in models at a range of resolutions including convection-permitting scales.  MetUM and WRF model experiments are used to identify key mechanisms and test their capability at simulating scale interactions between forcing at the large scale from the BSISO and newly identified regimes of on- and offshore convection near the Western Ghats.  An additional aspect to this work is the construction of a two-layer analytical model to test the behaviour of sheared flow perpendicular to a ridge analogous to the Western Ghats.  Secondly, the role of orography in extreme events is considered.  For the Western Ghats, this focuses on the interaction between monsoon low-pressure systems and the southwesterly flow in enhancing local rainfall.  For the Himalayas, we focus on characterising interactions between tropical lows and western disturbances in enhancing the orographic precipitation.  The work in IMPROVE works towards a deeper understanding of orographic rainfall and its extremes over India and uncovering why such mechanisms may be poorly represented in models.</p>

EVALUATING PROJECT ROBUSTNESS THROUGH THE LENS OF THE BUSINESS MODEL

2009 ◽  
Vol 06 (02) ◽  
pp. 155-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
JUSTIN M. REGINATO
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Economic Benefits ◽  
Market Uncertainty ◽  
Value Network ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Creation

The success of large-scale innovative projects is increasingly a function of the marriage of multiple complex technologies and the ability to articulate and capture economic benefits. For corporations, the decision to pursue particular projects often hinges on the creation of, or the ability to appropriate, requisite technologies in a manner that will allow for an adequate return on investment for project shareholders. The business model is a tool that can be used to help determine whether or not a project has the necessary components for successful completion. A business model articulates a business venture's value proposition, market segment, cost and profit structure, value chain, value network, and competitive strategy. While business models are commonly used at the corporate level, they can also be applied to projects in order to convey how the potential of multiple converging technological inputs lead to the creation of sustainable economic value outputs, often in the face of technical and market uncertainty. Empirical observations from the biopharmaceutical and aerospace industries reveal that projects with incomplete business models face considerable complications, while projects with complete business models face less difficulty with respect to execution. As such, companies can use business models as a tool for making project go/no go decisions whereby only projects with complete business models are allowed to progress through the development process.

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