Context: A study by the Kerala State Forest Protective State Organisation, an association states that removing exotic plants from forest areas will help ensure food for wild elephants at Chinnakkanal in Munnar.
Chinnakkanal
- Chinnakkanal is a village in Devikulam Block in Idukki District of Kerala State.
- It is a part of the elephant corridor from Anayirankal to Old Devikulam in Munnar.
Background
- This village was in news due to rising reports of Man – Animal conflict especially the elephants who were attacking local shops and agricultural fields.
- Kerala High court appointed an expert panel to address human-animal conflict in Chinnakanal.
- This panel recommended the reopening of the elephant corridor from Anayirankal to Old Devikulam in Munnar.
- Securing the corridor between Anayirankal and Old Devikulam, spanning a 60-acre shola forest, is proposed to facilitate the free movement of wild elephants. This move could potentially grant access to a vast 4,500 sq. km area within the Munnar landscape.
- Kerala State Forest Protective State Organisation also tried to investigate the about steps to mitigate human-elephant conflict in the region.
Suggestions
- Removing exotic species such as Acacia mearnsii (black wattle), West Indian Lantana (kongini) and eucalyptus from forests is vital to addressing the problems.
- Many areas are filled with exotic trees, which inhibit the growth of other plants.
- Wild animals, including elephants, are unable to move through these areas. If these areas change to natural grasslands, it will ensure food and water for wild elephants.
Acacia mearnsii (black wattle)
- It is a species of flowering plant
- It is native to south-eastern Australia and Tasmania, but has been introduced to North America, South America, Asia, Europe, Pacific and Indian Ocean islands, Africa, and New Zealand.
- In these areas it is often used as a commercial source of tannin or a source of firewood for local communities.
- As an exotic species they threaten native habitats by competing with indigenous vegetation, replacing grass communities, reducing native biodiversity and increasing water loss from riparian zones.
West Indian Lantana (kongini)
- Species of flowering plant.
- It is native to tropical Americas, the West Indies (Caribbeans).
- Its vibrant flowers and aromatic foliage have made it an ornamental plant in Gardens and landscapes worldwide.
- As an exotic species it has established itself as a notorious weed
- In Goa it was introduced by the Portuguese.
- Lantana can outcompete native species, leading to a reduction in biodiversity.
- It create a mat-like structure leading to degradation and destruction of the biodiversity. As a result, herbivores like Gaur, Chital and Sambar are deprived of their food. This also affects the survival of carnivores such as tigers and panthers, interlinked to the ecological equilibrium.
Eucalyptus
- It is native to Australia.
- Eucalypts have been grown in plantations in many other countries because they are fast growing, have valuable timber, or can be used for pulpwood, honey production, or essential oils.
- In some countries, they have been removed because of the danger of forest fires due to their high flammability.
- They are also termed as thirsty trees as they are responsible for rapid ground water depletion in areas of their plantation.
- Introduced about four centuries ago to create tannin in the Nilgiris have colonised the grasslands extensively and encroached upon the adjoining shola forests.
For further reading about the invasive species