GIS mapping excellence
421 villages digitized in Virudhunagar — spatial data for evidence-based planning, a biodiversity monitoring framework and technology-driven conservation management.
Western Ghats development programme
A central government programme delivered by Coodu Trust in Virudhunagar district — protecting one of the world's most important biodiversity hotspots through GIS mapping, watershed integration and Forest Department collaboration.
421
Villages GIS mapped
3
Acre ethno-botanical garden
2001–02
Implementation period
Completed
Programme status
The project
Protecting a biodiversity hotspot through data and partnership
Project mission
Implementing the Western Ghats Development Programme (WGDP) in Virudhunagar district to protect one of the world's most important biodiversity hotspots while promoting sustainable development through GIS mapping, watershed integration and Forest Department collaboration.
The Western Ghats Development Programme is part of the Central Government's initiative to protect and sustainably develop the Western Ghats — a UNESCO World Heritage Site with exceptional levels of endemism. Coodu Trust delivered the programme in coordination with the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA), anchored by comprehensive village-level GIS mapping covering 421 villages in Virudhunagar district.
The programme was implemented in coordination with the Integrated Watershed Development Programme (IWDP), combining biodiversity conservation with community-based natural resource management. In collaboration with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department in Sivagangai district, and through a 3-acre ethno-botanical garden at the Mayilampatty field office in Karur, the work joined spatial planning, forest conservation and traditional knowledge in a single effort.
- GIS & spatial mapping
- Biodiversity conservation
- Forest Department collaboration
- Watershed integration
Why this work matters
The challenge on the ground — and our answer
The challenge
Conservation planning without spatial data
A biodiversity hotspot cannot be protected village by village without reliable spatial information — planners are left guessing where resources and pressures actually sit on the ground.
Our response
GIS mapping of 421 villages
Comprehensive village-level GIS mapping across 421 villages in Virudhunagar, giving evidence-based planning and a biodiversity monitoring framework for technology-driven conservation.
The challenge
Endemic species and traditional knowledge at risk
Endemic species and the medicinal plant knowledge held by ethnic communities can vanish when conservation works in isolation from forest agencies and local healers.
Our response
Forest partnership and an ethno-botanical garden
A strategic partnership with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department in Sivagangai, plus a 3-acre ethno-botanical garden at Mayilampatty conserving medicinal species and training farmers, schools, colleges, folk healers and women SHG groups.
At a glance
The essentials
- Scheme
- WGDPWestern Ghats Development Programme — central government scheme
- Period
- 2001–2002Biodiversity conservation & eco-development — successfully completed
- Coverage
- Virudhunagar district421 villages GIS mapped; Forest collaboration in Sivagangai; garden at Mayilampatty, Karur
- Partners
- Tamil Nadu Forest DepartmentCoordinated with the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA)
- Part of
- Integrated with IWDPCombining biodiversity conservation with community-based natural resource management
- Status
- Successfully completedOutputs: DRDA scheme brochures, publications & socio-economic survey reports
Outcomes
What the project changed
Institutional collaboration
A strategic partnership with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department in Sivagangai district, focused on endemic species protection, forest conservation and sustainable resource management.
Ethno-botanical garden impact
A 3-acre garden at Mayilampatty (Karur) preserving medicinal plant species and traditional knowledge, with training for farmers, schools, colleges, folk healers and women SHG groups.
Get involved
Help protect the Western Ghats
Join us in conserving one of the world's great biodiversity hotspots — through mapping, forest partnership and the traditional knowledge that keeps native species alive.