DOI: 10.1002/aqc.70494 ISSN: 1052-7613
From ‘Alternative Livelihoods’ to ‘Conservation Livelihoods’ for Community‐Based Freshwater Biodiversity Conservation in India
Kritish De, Arvind Kumar DwivediABSTRACT
Indian freshwater conservation requires integrating biodiversity protection with community livelihoods. In India, dense riverine populations, culturally sacred waters and existing government livelihood programmes make this integration especially pressing. Ecotourism, religious tourism, aquaculture and handicrafts (the four pathways most consistently documented) offer opportunities for livelihood diversification, with conservation benefits that are not automatic. We propose shifting from ‘alternative livelihoods’ to ‘conservation livelihoods’, integrating ecological safeguards, equitable participation, monitoring and long‐term livelihood resilience to achieve linked social and biodiversity benefits.