Mention the word ‘conservation’ and for most people the mental images evoked are of tigers, elephants, giant pandas, marine turtles, or of imposing liana-festooned tropical rain forests. But conservation is as much about these iconic creatures and habitats as it is about other, less photogenic things: the tribal forest-dweller who depends on wild fruits for her livelihood and subsistence; the hill farmer deciding between growing an organic apple orchard or selling his land to a developer wanting to build a mountain-view resort; the decision-makers sitting in far-off cities amending the wildlife protection act, or formulating policies about land use.