Grassroots Initiatives for Environmental Sustainability

Abstract

People’s participation is a key element in biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. Biological diversity is maintained by the indigenous communities through systems of stewardship, customary laws and biocultural protocols. Governments can formulate laws, but ultimately the true guardians of biodiversity are the local people. In addition to community participation, there are innumerable cases of people who have worked single-handedly for the protection and conservation of biodiversity. Many of these efforts pass unnoticed, and this chapter highlights the efforts of a few individuals to live in harmony with nature by maintaining a sustainable lifestyle. It is hoped that these case studies serve to increase participation of local people in the use and management of natural resources in a sustainable manner.