Extreme climate occasions reminiscent of cyclones, sudden floods, and heatwaves have been lashing completely different areas of India over the previous couple of years. In 2021, the Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc) cautioned that by 2050 components of the Western Ghats could be misplaced to harsh weather conditions.
Amid considerations about local weather change and its influence on the Sahyadri mountain vary, biologists and nature lovers have come up with a pictorial handbook to assist determine, perceive, and preserve the huge flora present in the Karnataka area of the Western Ghats.
Endemic Vateria indica tree flowering department.
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu
Center for Urban Ecology, Biodiversity, Evolution, and Climate Change (CUBEC), at Jain (Deemed-to-be) University, alongside with the Karnataka State Medicinal Plants Authority, not too long ago launched the e-book Forest Trees of Central Western Ghats – A Pictorial Field Manual.
Written by Dr. G Ramachandra Rao, Associate Professor, CUBEC, Dr. T.V. Ramachandra, Vishnu D. Mukri, and Dr. M.D. Subash Chandran, the e-book elaborates on the habitat, ecology, and conservation facets of the Western Ghats for college students, scientists, forest employees and nature lovers.
A discipline handbook for the forests
According to the pictorial handbook, the Western Ghats, on account of its distinctive biodiversity coupled with the critical risk of depletion, is taken into account one of the 36 international biodiversity hotspots.
It harbors over 4,000 species of flowering crops (40% endemics), 330 species of butterflies (11% endemics), 156 species of reptiles (62% endemics), 508 species of birds (4% endemics), 120 species of mammals (12% endemics), 135 species of amphibians (75% endemics) and 289 species of fishes (41% endemics).
Speaking to The Hindu, Dr. G. Ramachandra Rao mentioned that the pictorial handbook was developed based mostly on floristic research in the Uttara Kannada, Shivamogga, and different Western Ghats districts of Karnataka.
Dipterocarpus indicus-Kulunde kan.
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu
“The field manual has been developed keeping in mind the primary role of trees in maintaining the ecosystem and the need to know the tree flora of the Western Ghats so as to conserve the Ghat ecosystem,” he mentioned.
“It delves into selected forest trees, representing different forest types from evergreen to dry deciduous, and diverse habitats from Myristica swamps to rocky terrain. The trees portrayed in the manual have been chosen for their representativeness of ecosystems, their ecological roles in the system, and for their endemism and rarity.”
Keeping it easy
According to Dr. Rao, floristic works in the previous have been arduous for college students and laypeople to grasp.
“Classical floristic works such as the Flora of Presidency of Bombay by Cooke T., Flora of Karnataka by C. J. Saldanha, and many more are generally descriptive with complex scientific terminology. They predominantly rely on floral and fruit characteristics and other subtle characters to distinguish closely related species.”
“Amateur nature enthusiasts, students, and field workers often find it difficult to use such floristic works in the field despite their great benefits. Hence our focus here is on cashier field identification techniques based on more obvious, morphological, and vegetative characters, represented pictorially.”
The handbook comprises 131 forest tree species that are pictorially grouped based mostly on simply identifiable morphological characters. Photographs of bark, twigs, leaves, flowers, fruits, seeds, and so on., are offered for easier identification.
Additionally, particulars of tree phenology, ecology, and risk standing alongside with taluk-wise distribution of tree species (in Uttara Kannada district) are offered.
“While we have tried to cover as many trees as possible, this is not an exhaustive manual. Many tree species have been excluded due to unavoidable reasons. However, this manual gives reasonable assistance in the identification of a large number of trees from this region, particularly from wetter low to mid-altitude forest,” Dr. Rao mentioned.
Lophopetalum wightianum.
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu
A 10-year lengthy journey
Dr. Rao joined IISc as he, in his personal phrases, “always wanted to work in the forest” and the establishment gave him the alternative. He travelled throughout the Western Ghats spending a number of days in the forest areas over the final 15 years.
“I started understanding the diversity of the Western Ghats and also wanted to understand how the forest functions. So, I started investigation, and did PhD on undisturbed and disturbed forests,” he mentioned.
Somewhere round 2012, he began writing the e-book alongside with the others. It took about 10 years to be accomplished.
Knema attenuata-Endemic tree.
| Photo Credit:
The Hindu
Book totally free
The e-book is being made obtainable totally free. It’s not on sale for a motive, says Dr. Rao. “As we completed the book, we decided that we did not want to sell the book for a price but give it away to nature lovers. We understand how difficult it is for people to identify the forest.”
“Every year there are new guards, foresters, and other staff appointed by the Karnataka Forest Department, who know very little about the forest and cannot afford to buy a book or manual to understand it. Considering our motive, the Karnataka State Medicinal Plants Authority came forward to publish the book,” Dr. Rao defined.
The e-book is accessible totally free at Forest Department workplaces throughout the State. The handbook can be obtainable on-line on the IISc web site.
“This is our small contribution to the world of forests and the Western Ghats,” mentioned Dr. Rao.