OSAI

Large-scale felling of trees is going on for years in Nilgiris. Many rare varieties of trees in sholas were felled in patta lands, private tea and coffee estates without proper permissions. Recently Jamun trees were felled in a private tea estate in Kundah on Sunday 1st November, 2009. Forest officials rushed to the spot on information and found Jamun trees were cut and logged. Case was registered and investigation is being done by Tamil Nadu forest department.

Silver Oak Tree

Tea estate owners get permissions for logging Silver Oak Tree. Silver Oak is an important commercial tree that provides shade, but they need to be replaced when they grow old. When the income from tea comes down, small growers start felling Silver Oak trees and sell them to manage their expenses. But many times people cut other shola species trees along with Silver Oak and smuggle them. It is illegal to cut any tree without proper permission in the estate lands were used for tea, coffee, and other cash crops, though a significant part (in most estates the majority) remained under forest and natural vegetation. We have noticed and seen visible environmental damage in some tea and coffee growing areas in Nilgiris.

Threatened Forests

Apart from illegal felling of trees in private lands, forest lands are also under threat in Nilgiris. The near-plundering of forest has left rosewood seedlings and shola species of trees under threat. Nilgiris forest cover consists of Montane shola grasslands, Wet evergreen forests, Semi evergreen forests, Moist deciduous forests, Dry deciduous forests, Dry thorn forests, and Grasslands.

Also affected are Teakwood, Venteak, Maruthu, Nangu, White cedar, Red cedar, Bamboo varieties, Vengai and Ayni varieties, besides medicinal plants and herbs. Over 2700 species of flowering plants, 160 species of fern and fern allies, countless types of flowerless plants, mosses, fungi, algae, land lichens are found in the sholas, the evergreen forests of this District. The forests of Nilgiris are home to wild animals such as Leopard, Tiger, Lion-tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Tahr, Nilgiri Langur, Sambar Deer, Nilgiri Marten, Malabar Giant Squirrel, Elephants and Gaur. These forests also harbour number of bird species, including the Nilgiri Pipit, Nilgiri Woodpigeon, Hornbills, Nilgiri Flycatcher, Nilgiri Laughingthrush and Nilgiri Blackbird. It is a sad note that the plundering is taking place in forest land coming under the famous Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve which has been declared a "heritage" by the UNESCO. Due to the indiscriminate cutting down of trees, Sholas of the Nilgiris are losing the power of regeneration. Necessary action has to be initiated to stop felling of trees in Nilgiris.

Support OSAI in conservation efforts and save our forests in Nilgiris.