The Nilgiris as a shared wilderness

Context: The Nilgiri biosphere is the first UNESCO-declared
biosphere in the country, covering over 5,500 square kilometres across the
three States of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. From the iconic Doddabetta,
rising 2,637 metres into the sky, to the 260-m depth of the Moyar gorge, it
encompasses a rich biodiversity. It has endemic flora and fauna seen nowhere
else in the world, such as the medicinal Baeolepis nervosa plant used by the
Irula tribe, the Nilgiri Chilappan, and the star-eyed bush frog. Of late, this
biosphere has seen more human activity than ever before. Known primarily for
its colonial-era tea plantations, it now boasts a thriving agriculture and
tourism economy. While both sectors bring in much needed livelihoods, they have
also brought in new challenges.

Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
(NBR)

·      
Location: It is in the Nilgiri Mountains of the Western Ghats. It
encompasses parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka.

·      
Vegetation: It harbours a wide spectrum of ecosystem types, such
as tropical evergreen forests, Montane sholas and grasslands, semi-evergreen
forests, moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous forests, and thorn forests.

·      
Climate: The annual rainfall of the reserve ranges from 500 mm
to 7000 mm, with temperatures ranging from 0°C during the winter to 41°C during
the summer.

·      
Tribal
Population: Tribal groups like the Todas,
Kotas, Irullas, Kurumbas, Paniyas, Adiyans, Edanadan Chettis, Cholanaickens,
Allar, Malayan, etc., are native to the reserve.

·      
Flora: About 3,300 species of flowering
plants can be seen here. Of the 3,300 species, 132 are endemic to the NBR. Some
of the plants entirely restricted to the NBR include species of Adenoon,
Calacanthus, Baeolepis, Frerea, Jarodina, Wagatea, Poeciloneuron, etc.

·      
Fauna: It includes the largest known population of two
endangered animal species, namely the Nilgiri Tahr and the Lion-tailed macaque
and the largest South Indian population of elephant, tiger, gaur, sambar, and
chital.

·      
Successful
conservation:  A measure of the success of conservation
efforts is in the numbers of wild animals that thrive in the Nilgiri Biosphere,
the largest protected forest expanse in the country with safeguarded areas
including Mudumalai and Mukurthi. Clear evidence has emerged through the work
of non-governmental organisations such as the Nature Conservation Foundation
and WWF, that simple, yet powerful, technologies, which include early warning
systems through mobile phone-based alerts, cameras and GPS tracking of animals,
have helped reduce dangerous wildlife encounters.