India, Sept. 29 -- Rising labour costs, urbanisation and increased use of pesticides point to a growing conservation concern in the Ghats

Agroforestry plantations in the Western Ghats, especially coffee plantations, have contributed to conservation of biodiversity by providing habitat for key species of concern. But rising labour costs, urbanisation and increased use of pesticides may threaten that.

A new study has evaluated the relationship between farm management and biodiversity in commodity production agroforests, particularly the coffee plantations , in the Western Ghats.

A team of scientists surveyed 344 coffee plantations in the Chikkamagaluru, Hassan and Kodagu districts of Karnataka. The team found the following were associate...