Udhagamandalam: With the Nilgiris in general and Ooty in particular now teeming with visitors from various parts of the country and abroad a question doing the rounds particularly among conservationists is “what kind of knowledge or information are all these tourists taking back with them”.A regret shared by them is that little or no attempt is being made to highlight among the tourists the unique aspects of the Nilgiris or for that matter the Western Ghats of which it is an important part.

They are of the view that it could be done in a number of ways.It will not only add value to brief stay of the tourists here but also espouse the cause of conservation.

Singing the glory of the Western Ghats,they point out that the mountain range,also called the Great Escarpment of India which runs parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula is one among the three bio-diversity hotspots identified, the other two being the Eastern Himalaya and the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspots. It is also designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Western Ghats is known for its endemism or the ecological state of a species being unique to a defined geographic location.As much as 33% of its plant life has been listed as peculiar to the region.

Speaking to The Covai Post,Conservationist P.J.Vasanthan points out that it was home to almost 31.5% of India’s avian life forms, holding about 374 species distributed through 73 families and 225 genera.It is a little known fact that the Western Ghats tops the country in the number of endemic species of birds.

India which can be subdivided into 8 major biogeographical zones, is known to have around 1189 species of birds, of which 60 are known to be endemic or range restricted, and confined to particular specialised habitats. Two of these are considered as ‘Critically Endangered & Probably Extinct,’ the Himalayan Quail and the Pink-headed Duck.

Endemism is much more higher in settings such as islands, the reason being isolation, but on the contrary, these landlocked chain of mountains lead India’s list of endemics with 29 species (46%), followed closely by the Andamans with 25 species (40%).

The Himalayan belt of the North, and the Eastern Himalayas and other hills of the Northeast, although much superior where numbers are concerned, are very poor in endemics species, holding just 1% and 5% of India’s tally.

Dr.Vasanthan adds that it is significant to note that 7 of the Western Ghat endemics are under some category of threat, mostly due to shrinkage and fragmentation of their habitat, the shola forests. If issues are left unattended they may go the ‘Himalayan Quail’ way.

Most of the peninsula, a region where water scarcity is now rife, depends on the Western Ghats as a source of water, the latter being well known to act as a huge sponge, retaining surface runoff during times of plenty and later gradually releasing the surplus into the many rivers that originate here.

Continuous monitoring of these endemic birds which are well known indicator species, will help in early identification of ecological changes, and avert further disaster by timely action.

Enhancing awareness among the people especially tourists about environmental issues is extremely important.