Economic and social issues of biodiversity loss in Cochin backwaters
This study is a humble attempt to project the evolving environmental crisis faced by the people of the most advanced urban city, Cochin, of the state of Kerala. Cochin backwaters provide the natural energy to the city's economic and social life and its degradation therefore is a matter of concern to all interested in the well being of the people of this area. The importance of this study lies in placing biodiversity degradation of Cochin backwaters as the central theme of regional development. However, the study could not explore each aspects of the study in detail mainly due to shortage of resources to conduct detailed year round primary enquiries of various hydrobio-physical relations and other economic social, political and legal aspects of biodiversity conservation. Still the manner in which the various primary and secondary information on the various facets of biodiversity degradation and its impact, have been compiled provides a clear picture of the evolving crisis on the environment and on the Kerala economy at large.