Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve | |
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Location | South India |
Coordinates | 11°33′00″N 76°37′30″E / 11.55000°N 76.62500°E |
Area | 5,520 km2 (2,130 sq mi) |
Established | 1986 |
Governing body | Tamilnadu forest department, Karnataka forest department, Kerala forest department, Project Tiger |
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The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is a
An ecosystem of the hill ranges of Nilgiris and its surrounding environments covering a tract of over 5000 square kilometers was constituted as Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in September 1986 under Man and Biosphere Programme. Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve is India's first and foremost biosphere reserves with a heritage, rich in flora and fauna. Tribal groups such as the Badagas, Toda, Kotas, Irulla, Kurumba, Paniya, Adiyan, Edanadan Chettis, Allar, and Malayan are native to the reserve.[2]
Etymology
The word Nilgiri is derived from the
History
In the 1970s, an area of around 5,670 km2 (2,190 sq mi) in the Nilgiri Mountains was proposed to be included in the list of biosphere reserves of India. This proposed area encompassed a forestry zone of 2,290 km2 (880 sq mi), a core zone of 2,020 km2 (780 sq mi), an agricultural zone of 1,330 km2 (510 sq mi) and a restoration zone of 30 km2 (12 sq mi). Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve was established in September 1986 and is India's first biosphere reserve under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme.[6]
Geography
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve extends over an area of 5,520 km2 (2,130 sq mi) from the eastern part of
The reserve extends from the
Flora
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve harbours more than 3,700 plant species, including about 200
Tall trees above a height of 18 m (59 ft) are used by the giant honey bees (Apis dorsata) for building nests, including the species Tetrameles nudiflora, Indian laurel (Ficus microcarpa), Coromandel ebony (Diospyros melanoxylon), yellow snake tree (Stereospermum tetragonum), rusty kamala (Mallotus tetracoccus) and Acrocarpus fraxinifolius.[9] During the peak flowering season from January to May, at least 73 species blossom including teak (Tectona grandis), red cedar (Erythroxylum monogynum), hiptage (Hiptage benghalensis), large-flowered bay tree (Persea macrantha), zunna berry (Ziziphus rugosa) and creeping smartweed (Persicaria chinensis). They depend on pollination by giant honey bee, Asiatic honey bee (Apis cerana), red dwarf honey bee (A. florea) and Trigona bees.[10]
Fauna
Birds
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve harbours 14 bird species that are
Mammals
Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and adjacent areas host the largest Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) population in India, estimated at 5,750 individuals by 2007. Herds move in 562–800 km2 (217–309 sq mi) large home ranges and congregate at perennial water sources during the dry season.[12]
Fauna includes over 100 species of mammals, 370 species of birds, 80 species of reptiles, about 39 species of fish, 31 amphibians and 316 species of butterflies.[
Amphibians and reptiles
Amphibians include purple frog, Silent valley brush frog, Malabar gliding frog, Beddomixalus. Around fifty percent of India's amphibian species are endemic to the region, and around ninety species of reptiles including the genera Brachyopihidium, Dravidogecko, Melanophidum, Ristella, Salea, Plectrurus, Teretrurus, and Xylophis.[7]
Threats
Shola forests outside protected areas are threatened by fragmentation, especially in the vicinity of settlements.
Poaching, deforestation, forest fires and dangers to native tribes are the main threats. Despite poaching banned by law in 1972, people still tend to illegally hunt animals such as tigers, elephants and chital for skin, fur or tusks. Forests are being destroyed for farming or livestock. Animals that kill livestock are killed by farmers. Forest fires destroy vegetation. Native tribes are being evacuated from their homelands, resulting in loss of tribal culture.[citation needed]
See also
References
- ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
- ^ About Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR) Archived 24 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine – www.nilgiribiospherereserve.com
- ^ "The Missionary Herald of the Baptist Missionary Society". Baptist Mission House. 1886: 398.
{{cite journal}}
: Cite journal requires|journal=
(help) - ISBN 9783515026406.
- ^ "Decline of a Montane Ecosystem". Kartik Shanker Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science. February 1997.
- ^ a b c d Ranjit Daniels, R.J. & Vijayan, V.S. (1996). The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve: A Review of Conservation Status with Recommendations for a Wholistic Approach to Management (PDF) (Report). Working Paper No. 16. Paris: UNESCO South-South Co-operation Programme for Environmentally Sound Socio-Economic Development in the Humid Tropics.
- ^ OCLC 48435361.
- ^ S2CID 55780505.
- S2CID 22832468.
- ^ Thomas, S.G.; Rehel, M.S.; Varghese, A.; Davidar, P. & Potts, S.G. (2009). "Social bees and food plant associations in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India". Tropical Ecology. 50 (1): 79–88.
- ^ BirdLife International (2017). "Strophocincla cachinnans". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2017: e.T103874076A111175518.
- ISBN 978-981-10-6604-7.
- ^ Jose, F.C. (2012). "The 'living fossil' shola plant community is under threat in upper Nilgiris". Current Science. 102 (8): 1091–1092.