text: The 1600 kms length of the Western Ghats, from the mouth of river Tapti in Dhule district of Maharashtra and ending at Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu, has been beset with ecological and environmental problems like increasing pressure of population on land and vegetation; submergence of forest areas under river valley projects, encroachment on forest lands; clear felling of forests for raising tea, coffee, rubber and other plantations; mining operations, soil erosion, land slides; shifting cultivation; and declining wildlife population.