There is an urgent need to protect and preserve the fast depleting fig tree population in the western ghats as ecologists have shown fig trees to be 'keysone resources' of an ecosystem.Speaking on 'Figs of Western Ghats, Utkarsh Ghate of centre for Ecological Sciences (CES) of the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, pointed out that figs, belonging to the genus ficus of family moraceae were disappearing fast due to various development projects as well as indifferent attitude of forest officers.