Thiruvananthapuram, Sept. 4 -- In Lakshadweep, the coconut tree is more than a crop. It is the spine of life, the anchor of households, and the commons on which an entire community has survived for centuries. On these fragile coral islands where cultivable land is scarce, most palms rise from public lands-roadside strips, panchayat plots, and shared homesteads-long treated as open access resources. Families climbed them freely, harvesting nuts that went into food and drink, into oil and copra, and into ropes, mats, and boats. Coconut sales supplemented fragile fishing incomes, often forming the difference between poverty and survival.

That intimate relationship with the "tree of life" is now under strain. This week, the deputy collector ...