Transitional Peri-urban Landscape …
437
earning their livelihoods are the assets. Thus, any such livelihood can be assessed
for its environmental sustainability with respect to the resources used.
Human induced changes in land use land cover enables us to achieve more benefits from the natural resources; on the other hand, such activities damage the natural
capacity of the ecosystems in providing other services, like-sustainable food production, maintenance of freshwater resources, regulatory services like climate and air
quality (Foley et al. 2005). Urbanization acts as an important driver of change; both
biotic and abiotic properties of ecosystems are affected due to urbanization showing it’s impacts in the urban area as well as in the surroundings and also in areas
far from the city (Grimm 2008). The peri-urban interface can be understood as a
social, economic and environmental space where three systems constantly interact:
the agricultural system, the urban system and the natural resource system (Allen
2003) and have their own characteristic features. Sometimes the unclear boundary
or demarcation of common property resource makes them very vulnerable to such
development situation with consequent effects on the livelihoods of the local people.
On the other hand, conventional conservation approaches also affect the access right
of local population.
Peri-urban area is the most active zone of urbanization that is affected by urban
core (Douglas 2012; Frenkel and Ashkenazi 2008; Huang et al. 2011). Iaquinta (2001)
refers to peri-urban areas as transitional zone or zone of interaction with both rural
and urban activities juxtaposed. The type fringes are also determined by the size
and function of the bordering city the services (agricultural produce, forest produce,
labour, water, recreational) and resources it is providing towards the city. The linkage
between ecosystem services and livelihood is very much apparent in peri-urbanrural landscapes where people are closer to the nature with direct dependency on
natural resources. The population in the transitional area tend to shift their subsistence
and income earning activities organically associated with natural resources to cash
economy.
India’s population is largely dependent on natural resources for its livelihoods. To
support the life and livelihood of such a huge population safeguarding the environment to provide sufficient ecosystem services for survival and secured livelihoods
(fishery, animal husbandry, forestry, small farming etc.) is crucial. Thus, to ensure a
sustainable future in those precarious areas of environmental concerns, a framework
for sustainability should look at: (a) No declining resources (b) No loss of biodiversity (c) No deterioration of environmental quality and (d) Easy and safe access of
local people to the resources.
Approximately 26 million people depend on forest and aquatic resources for their
livelihoods. These endemic communities cannot be excluded from the natural system.
They have the traditional knowledge to manage and acquire the benefits from the
ecosystem and sometimes with no other skill to acquire their livelihoods. However,
external pressures for over exploiting the resources as well as environmental quality
degradation have made those practices unsustainable. In many parts of the country,
these nature-based livelihoods as well as the ecosystems are under threats because
of developmental activities like urbanization, mining, industrialization etc.
437
earning their livelihoods are the assets. Thus, any such livelihood can be assessed
for its environmental sustainability with respect to the resources used.
Human induced changes in land use land cover enables us to achieve more benefits from the natural resources; on the other hand, such activities damage the natural
capacity of the ecosystems in providing other services, like-sustainable food production, maintenance of freshwater resources, regulatory services like climate and air
quality (Foley et al. 2005). Urbanization acts as an important driver of change; both
biotic and abiotic properties of ecosystems are affected due to urbanization showing it’s impacts in the urban area as well as in the surroundings and also in areas
far from the city (Grimm 2008). The peri-urban interface can be understood as a
social, economic and environmental space where three systems constantly interact:
the agricultural system, the urban system and the natural resource system (Allen
2003) and have their own characteristic features. Sometimes the unclear boundary
or demarcation of common property resource makes them very vulnerable to such
development situation with consequent effects on the livelihoods of the local people.
On the other hand, conventional conservation approaches also affect the access right
of local population.
Peri-urban area is the most active zone of urbanization that is affected by urban
core (Douglas 2012; Frenkel and Ashkenazi 2008; Huang et al. 2011). Iaquinta (2001)
refers to peri-urban areas as transitional zone or zone of interaction with both rural
and urban activities juxtaposed. The type fringes are also determined by the size
and function of the bordering city the services (agricultural produce, forest produce,
labour, water, recreational) and resources it is providing towards the city. The linkage
between ecosystem services and livelihood is very much apparent in peri-urbanrural landscapes where people are closer to the nature with direct dependency on
natural resources. The population in the transitional area tend to shift their subsistence
and income earning activities organically associated with natural resources to cash
economy.
India’s population is largely dependent on natural resources for its livelihoods. To
support the life and livelihood of such a huge population safeguarding the environment to provide sufficient ecosystem services for survival and secured livelihoods
(fishery, animal husbandry, forestry, small farming etc.) is crucial. Thus, to ensure a
sustainable future in those precarious areas of environmental concerns, a framework
for sustainability should look at: (a) No declining resources (b) No loss of biodiversity (c) No deterioration of environmental quality and (d) Easy and safe access of
local people to the resources.
Approximately 26 million people depend on forest and aquatic resources for their
livelihoods. These endemic communities cannot be excluded from the natural system.
They have the traditional knowledge to manage and acquire the benefits from the
ecosystem and sometimes with no other skill to acquire their livelihoods. However,
external pressures for over exploiting the resources as well as environmental quality
degradation have made those practices unsustainable. In many parts of the country,
these nature-based livelihoods as well as the ecosystems are under threats because
of developmental activities like urbanization, mining, industrialization etc.