Reinforcement and revitalization of culture and Tribal Knowledge System in the Eastern and Western Ghats regions in Tamil Nadu in India

The Eastern and Western Ghats regions in Tamil Nadu in India are considered to be one of the hot spots, rich in biodiversity and endemic species of plants. Many tribal groups inhabit in these areas and their contribution to the conservation of biodiversity of these areas is remarkable.These communities use diverse strategies that have enabled them to keep the people-biodiversity links active. The effectiveness is based on the relationships that exist between people of diverse cultures and the other elements of biodiversity in their respective areas. This investigation aimed to study the holistic nature of traditional knowledge systems in its cultural context and how this knowledge is distributed in these communities, and who benefits from it, to understand the culture, practices, and believes regarding the use of locally available natural resources, the efficacy of  medicinal plants used by them, cultural knowledge, the transmission of Traditional Knowledge among these tribals, ethnoclassification, or folk taxonomy, perception on environment and health.  A systematic and scientific investigation was done using variety of qualitative research tools such as structured and semi-structured interviews. This will change our attitudes and actions from ignoring, belittling and neglecting local traditional knowledge and the interlinking culture and reinforce and complement the local capacities which would further strengthen people-biodiversity links.