Monday, May 14, 2012
Significance of Silent Valley National Park
Significance of Silent Valley National Park
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Bio
geographically, Silent Valley and the adjacent forests of the Western
Ghats represent “ecological islands” in which it is possible to observe
the conditions that prevailed before modifications set in, in the
humid tropical forests of peninsular India. Though the stability of
these ecological islands is fast dwindling, these ecological products
introduce an important factor in the bio geographical evolution, viz.
isolation mostly due to physical barriers as a result of the Palakkad
gap. Isolation, therefore, has had the effect of preserving the relict
characters of the flora and fauna of Silent Valley and adjacent
areas, as indicated by the presence of primitive groups of flora and
fauna. The distribution range of these relict species had been
considerably restricted, presenting an apparent picture of endemism.
The intermingling of Indo-Malayan elements in the flora and fauna of
the area is due to preservation of the once extensive tropical forests,
which extended over the whole of the Peninsula. The concentration and
isolation of these elements only in some areas of the Ghats, present
precarious picture of survival of relicts of an otherwise impoverished
flora and fauna.
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The ecological regimes in the southern Western Ghats may be characterized within the following four categories.
The ecological regimes in the southern Western Ghats may be characterized within the following four categories.
- Elevation:- Low (<500M), moderate(500M -1500M), high(>1500 M)
- Precipitation:- Dry (<1000 mm), moderate(1000 mm-2500 mm) wet (>2500 mm)
- Topography:- Undulating, steep slopes
- Hydrology :- Along water courses, away from water courses.
Such a
classification will give in combination, 36 different ecological zones.
The Silent Valley Plateau represents a very well preserved example of
undulating terrain at mid elevation in the high rainfall zone under two
zones, one along the water course, Kunthipuzha and the other away from
the water course.
The Silent Valley Plateau, lying at the southwest corner of Nilgiris, sloping towards the south and is practically winged in by hills. The whole of the catchment’s forests are practically undisturbed, with no historical anthropogenic degradation, the sole exception being an attempt at coffee planting over 40 ha near the middle of Silent Valley Reserve during 1842, which was promptly abandoned in 1843, and also some selective felling amounting to 43,000 M3 for sleeper extraction from the southern half of the reserve. Because of the topographic isolation of the plateau, cut off as it is from the east, north, west and south by steep ridges end escarpments; there is little permeating influence from surrounding areas into this stretch of forests. There is no representation, comparable in area to the Silent Valley in the form of riparian and non-riparian ecosystems on undulating terrain at mid-elevation and in the high rainfall zone over the entire stretch of Western Ghats in Kerala.
The Silent Valley Plateau, lying at the southwest corner of Nilgiris, sloping towards the south and is practically winged in by hills. The whole of the catchment’s forests are practically undisturbed, with no historical anthropogenic degradation, the sole exception being an attempt at coffee planting over 40 ha near the middle of Silent Valley Reserve during 1842, which was promptly abandoned in 1843, and also some selective felling amounting to 43,000 M3 for sleeper extraction from the southern half of the reserve. Because of the topographic isolation of the plateau, cut off as it is from the east, north, west and south by steep ridges end escarpments; there is little permeating influence from surrounding areas into this stretch of forests. There is no representation, comparable in area to the Silent Valley in the form of riparian and non-riparian ecosystems on undulating terrain at mid-elevation and in the high rainfall zone over the entire stretch of Western Ghats in Kerala.
Silent Valley forests show all the known characteristics of the tropical rain forests. These include:
- a great network of surface roots in physical contact with moist leaf litter, the root mat having a biomass of 18 g dry weight in 5000 M3.
- laurel type leaves with entire margin and with a drip-tip in the mesophyl, thick and leathery for emergent and relatively thin for the under storey species
- very thin bark, less than 6mm in thickness
- woody nature of leaflets and profusion of woody climbers and epiphytes
- multi layered tree species with stature of more than 60 M with a trunk typically slender and often buttressed at the base, the crown depth and width being low compared to the trunk height
- tree density and basal area are comparable to the richest tropical rain forests in other parts of the world
- multi layered nature of the forest with emergent species raising their heads above the general canopy layer, consequently imparting an undulating bumpy look to the surface
The number
of tree species computed for the Silent Valley (118 vascular plants of
84 species in 0.4 ha) is very high compared to a range of 60 to 140
species that characterise the other known tropical forests. The Alpha
Diversity Index is 4.8, which is the same as that of another well known
tropical rain forest, Barro Colorado Islands in Panama Canal.
Zoological Survey of India had conducted faunal survey in 5 different
locations. The specimens were sorted out into species and the groups
compared. The levels of diversity in the Silent Valley were found to be
much higher than those of the other areas.
The limited
studies of the fauna of Silent Valley reveals that its rich resources
as rare and unique – rare because many species which originally
inhabited the entire belt of the Western Ghats have been lost due to
destruction of their habitat by human beings or for other reasons.
These faunal resources however are still available in Silent Valley,
because of the relatively little human intrusion. It is unique because
what little has been collected and studied has already proved to be of
immense scientific interest from the taxonomic, zoogeographic and
ecological points of view.
A number of species, which were available in the Western Ghats 50 to 100 years ago and which have not been recorded subsequently, still exist in Silent Valley. They include insects, fishes, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. Type specimens of these, described earlier by scientists, have been deposited in museums outside India. Even prototypes are not available in India for referral studies.
A number of species, which were available in the Western Ghats 50 to 100 years ago and which have not been recorded subsequently, still exist in Silent Valley. They include insects, fishes, amphibians, reptiles and mammals. Type specimens of these, described earlier by scientists, have been deposited in museums outside India. Even prototypes are not available in India for referral studies.
Welcome to the world of Nature
The Silent
Valley National Park is a unique preserve of natural rainforests.
Within an area of 237. 52 Sq.km, it houses a rich mosaic of varied
habitats. Out of these springs the amazing variety of life forms some
of them endemic to the Western Ghats.
The
Valley exudes a quite grandeur, a mystery half revealed and half
concealed that is part of a story older than mankind, for this
rainforest probably dates back to 50 million years. Silently she beckons
us to witness the marvelous exuberance of life that expresses itself
in an incredible chaos of plants and animals and birds and insects. At
the heart of her many songs is a still, deep silence which only those
who tread softly and wait patiently may learn to hear.Silence Speaks The Time !
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