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The Western Ghats of India Commercial Coffee and Tea Plantations British planters introduced coffee and tea to India in the late 19th Century. Since then, much of the best habitat in the Western Ghats has been converted into vast plantations of monoculture crops. This has had a dramatic and negative impact on forest cover, biodiversity, and the water retaining capacity of the hills. Expansion of existing plantations poses a significant threat to the Western Ghats, and to the millions of people who live in the shadow of the hills, in the watersheds to the east and west. < Previous | Back to Thumbnails | Next >   Photos and captions courtesy of Ian Lockwood Up to Top