LORIS-The Biodiversity Conservation Society is a local initiative to work for the conservation of biological diversity of the region and is registered under the " Society Registration Act 35 of 2001, India ".
Mission: Conservation of the biological diversity of the Eastern Ghats in southern Andhra Pradesh by involving local communities.
The Society aims to:
Work for the long-term conservation of native flora and fauna of the region with a focus on threatened and endemic species outside Protected Areas with participation from local communities.
Work for conservation, documentation of traditional knowledge and practices related to natural resource use, biodiversity and its conservation.
Undertake scientific studies, research activities at the species, habitat, landscape and community level either independently or in collaboration with other institutions, individuals, professionals, Government departments and organizations.
Disseminate knowledge and information related to biodiversity conservation to local communities, individuals and other institutions with similar objectives and interests.
Undertake fund-raising activities and accept donations or grants from individuals or institutions to help achieve the Objectives of the Society.
Members of the Governing Board
Bhaskarendra Rao, R. | Suresh Jones | Ramachandra, N. | Diya Paul | Santosh Kumar
Introduction to the area
The Eastern Ghats are situated along the eastern peninsular India (11
º03'00" to 22
º03'04" N latitudes and 77
º02'02" to 87
º02'09" E longitudes) extending over 2000 km in length with an average width of about 100 km. This broken chain of hills and elevated plateaus range in altitude from 600 m to 1500 m above MSL. The Eastern Ghats are highly significant in terms of Bio-diversity and have a complex geological history.
The vegetation varies considerably with changes in the altitude and is remarkable for the concentration of character species in certain well-defined areas and for the presence of complex associations of tropical, sub-tropical and evergreens at higher elevations. However, a large portion of the vegetation is comprised of dry deciduous and scrub forests.
Chittoor, the southern most district of Andhra Pradesh borders with the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu on the West and South respectively and can be divided into two natural divisions-the mountainous western plateau and the eastern plains. The hill ranges of the western uplands are characterized by rocky outcrops and poor soils. The vegetation is mostly open to dense scrub with a few patches of Tropical Dry Deciduous forests classified as "Albizzia" type.
The fauna includes many species of conservation significance ranging in IUCN categories from 'Data Deficient' to 'Critically Endangered'. These broken hills form a landscape connectivity with the Western Ghats and at the local level act as stepping stones facilitating faunal movement that is critical during the dry summer months while also being part of an established Elephant corridor. The typical rural economy of the region is based on agriculture and animal husbandry and thereby impacts the natural resources to a large extent.
