Man in Biosphere Case Studies on Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve and Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve

Biosphere reserves are areas of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems. They promote the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use. This book provides empirical studies on two important biosphere reserves of South India. The Gulf of Mannar is a marine biosphere reserve which is spread across the 1050 sq. km. in the Indian part of the territorial water of the Gulf of Mannar between India and Sri Lanka. There are twenty-one tiny islands in the core area of the biosphere reserve studied within the marine national park. The study of this biosphere reserve is ‘people-oriented’; it is not merely an academic exercise. The study is carried out with the aim that it will help both the administrators and the people. In order to fulfil these objectives, fieldwork was carried out in phases making use of typical anthropological methods.