Dry Deciduous Forests Of Karnataka – Adding Years To Their Life And To Ours

<p><i>Dry Deciduous Forests of Karnataka</i> – <i>Adding Years to Their Life and to Ours</i> attempts at highlighting various aspects of the dry deciduous forests which once covered large parts of the state of Karnataka and which now occur only in a few scattered pockets having been almost entirely wiped out from two vast regions covering three-fourths of the state namely interior Karnataka and the Eastern Plains. Although not as imposing as the moist deciduous semi-evergreen and evergreen forests that are met with in the western part of the state the dry deciduous forests have high ecological value in terms of biodiversity soil and water conservation climate moderation medicinal properties protection of agricultural land etc. Although now restricted in patches dispersed over an almost limitless landscape these forests have tremendous impact on the surrounding environment. More importantly these are the last vestiges of natural vegetation in an expansive open and parched region where the ominous signs of desertification are already perceptible. Conservation and development of these forests by any means and before it is too late is of utmost importance for the overall protection and amelioration of the surrounding environment of the state. An attempt has been made in the book in analyzing the various factors that were responsible for pushing these forests to their present dismal state and in offering a few suggestions regarding restoration and rejuvenation of the vanishing forests.</p>