Many takers of a park

Kudremukh was notified a national park in 2001. Protests have ensued ever since and the demand for denotification of the park has intensified over the years. The tribals fear they will be forced out of the park and relocated elsewhere. The state's relocation plans, however, haven't taken off yet. But there are Naxals who operate from the interior areas of the park and allegedly incite tribal communities not to give up

Travails of a waterscape

SIDDHARTHA KRISHNAN AND PRIYADARSANAN DHARMA RAJAN

Maharashtra to notify the much-delayed Sahyadri tiger reserve

A proposal to set up the 800 sq km Sahyadri tiger reserve in the Western Ghats of Maharashtra is getting finishing touches. Sahyadri will be the state's fourth tiger reserve. "The state will submit the proposal to the National Tiger Conservation Authority which declares tiger reserves in the country," the conservator of forest (wildlife), Kolhapur division, M K Rao said. The new tiger reserve would fall under his jurisdiction.

No return of the native

Wizened old Jidemadamma has to depend on her neighbours for meals. Her son and daughter-in-law have gone to Kodagu to collect pepper from trees and will not be back before two weeks. "They took the children along because I cannot move around much. Earlier, all of us stayed together here. Now there is nobody," says the septuagenarian, sitting outside her hut in Kaneri Colony, one of the 62 hamlets in Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (brt) Wildlife Sanctuary in southern Karnataka.

Butterflies prefer coffee to tea

you see a lot of butterflies hovering around coffee plantations. The reason is the plantations have scattered stands of trees for shade. And a change in ecology can affect their numbers.

Invasive species in Western Ghats affects plants

it is believed when invasive species are introduced in an area they inhibit the growth of local plants by producing chemicals. There is another recent theory that suggests that invasives work by changing the kinds of microbes in the soil. This phenomenon has been seen in the Western Ghats where a South American shrub has eliminated most vegetation.

Revival plan for a disappearing tree

an important tree species is fast disappearing in the Western Ghats. A 'recovery plan' is currently underway for the tree, which is used primarily as a traditional cure for skin diseases, though not on a commercial scale. There are only 100-odd trees left. The freshwater swamp species, locally called kan holegar, is found on four isolated pockets in the Western Ghats.

Forest produce in Western Ghats suffer mystery infection

rampatre, a non-timber forest produce and an important livelihood source for communities in the Western Ghats, is afflicted with a mystery infection. Scientists are yet to find the nature of the infection or measures to control it. "The disease started in Shimoga district, Karnataka, and is moving further north," said R Vasudeva, associate professor at the

Book The economics of biodiversity conservation valuation in tropical forest ecosystems

First Indian study on species discovery pattern

there is little chance for a new bird or butterfly being discovered in the Western Ghats now, says a recent study. It has, however, not ruled out the discovery of frogs and grasses. First time in India, a team of researchers including scientists from the University of Agricultural Sciences in Bangalore have classified the patterns of