DYNAMICS OF SUSTAINABLE LIVESTOCK AND NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT IN PACHAIMALAI HILLS, EASTERN GHATS, TAMIL NADU

Abstract

Pachaimalais situated at the North West border of Thiruchirapalli District, the Pachaimalais (Green Hills) extend into the Salem District (Attur Pachaimalai). The traditional communities (Malayalis) derive both their socio-cultural and spiritual identity from land and forest for which a dynamic body of traditional knowledge were evolved to sustain and manage the natural resources. Looking to the importance of this dynamics, an attempt has been made to explore the knowledge and practices pertaining to livestock and natural resources management governed by traditional knowledge. To achieve the objective, the livestock owners from different ethnoculture from different villages of Pachaimalai hills, Tamilnadu were selected purposively. Various ethnographic tools, conventional methods like personal interview and participatory tools were adopted to explore and interpret the data. A range of locally available plant and other materials are widely used for curing many diseases and ailments of livestock. The indigenous biodiversity including local grasses, shrubs and trees are dynamically associated with local feeds, forages and are over all part of natural resources management of livestock owners. Still more preference is given to rear the local breeds of different livestock on account of their socio-cultural and spiritual compatibility resulting in conservation of biological diversity. The ecological diversities in which pasture lands are categorized in to private and common property and associated with customary rules and culture play a significant role in sustainable use, conservation and management of the natural resources.