This book elaborates on the Khazan ecosystems of Goa, India. Khazans are human-managed ecosystems, which are reclaimed from coastal wetlands, salt marshes and mangrove areas, where tidal influence is regulated through a highly structured system of dykes, canals, furrows, and sluice gates using resources that are amply available locally. Khazan ecosystems are marvels of tribal engineering. They are a simple architectural design, which operate at a very low running cost using tidal, hydro, and solar energy. The design contributes to a highly complex but eco-friendly ecosystem integrating agriculture, aquaculture and salt panning. . Khazan ecosystems have been functional for the last 3500 years. The history of Khazans is very ancient and can be traced to the transition from food gathering to food growing, which has been regarded as the biggest step in the history of human civilization. Khazan ecosystems thus have a high historical and world heritage value. They are also repositories of global biodiversity, with unique flora suitable to their unique and highly variable environment. They are endemic and heritage ecosystems of Goa and ultimately reservoirs of history and heritage. Using the example of the Khazan lands, the book analyzes and comments on traditional ecological knowledge and indigenous technology. It presents the evolution of Khazan management institutions over a period of more than three thousand years, as well as factors that have contributed to its decline in recent years. It develops a conceptual framework for ecosystem performance and suggests strategies for conservation of Khazans as well as strategies to build on these indigenous adaptation mechanisms to cope with the global environmental change.
This book offers a unique introduction to the study of shells and molluscs for all those who take pleasure in shells, the treasure of the sea. However, unlike other shell albums, compendiums or guides, the central focus of this book is on shells and not molluscs. Therefore, in addition to the classification and identification of shells, the book also addresses aspects including the shell art and shell craft of Goa, the importance of shells, and literary works related to shells and their writers. The book also describes various shell habitats of Goa. The primary objective of this book is to introduce readers to the concept of shell heritage and to spark curiosity and scientific interest, not just among conchologists but also local and visiting beachgoers. Accordingly, it primarily uses straightforward, non-technical language. The book will also appeal to those readers without any previous knowledge of the subject, helping them to understand and appreciate the shells that they collect from the seashores of Goa.
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