Background
The Western Ghats in India are a forested mountain range that is classified as a global biodiversity hotspot due to its extraordinary biodiversity. The forest has inestimable value as a water reservoir, regulates large-scale climate, and provides a variety of ecosystem services upon which the livelihoods of local inhabitants are based. However, due to an increase in population pressure and changes in land use, the forest ecosystem has come under severe pressure in recent decades.
Indigenous peoples are particularly vulnerable due to their dependence on the use of forest resources and are severely affected by the negative consequences of land use change. These impacts are exacerbated by global climate change. In addition, deforestation also has negative consequences for the water supply of the megacities of Mumbai and Pune, where the already existing water shortage is likely to worsen dramatically in the future.