RARE PROJECT

(REASONED, ARTICULATE AND REFLECTIVE EXPOSITION)

NAME – DANIYA MANSOOR ALI MAMTULAY

GRADE/SECTION – XG
SUBJECT – SST RARE PROJECT
SKILL - ARTICLE

Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve

The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is an International Biosphere Reserve in the
Western Ghats and Nilgiri Hills ranges of South India. The Nilgiri Sub-Cluster is a
part of the Western Ghats, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO
in 2012. It is the largest protected forest area in India, spreading across Tamil
Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. It includes the Aral am, Mudumalai, Mukurthi, Nagar
hole, Bandipore and Silent Valley national parks, as well as the Wayanad,
Karimpuzha, and Sathya Mangalam wildlife sanctuaries.

A fascinating ecosystem of the hill ranges of Nilgiris and its surrounding

environments covering a tract of over 5000 square kilometers was constituted as
Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in September 1986 under Man and
Biosphere Programme. Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve is India's first and foremost
biosphere reserves with a heritage, rich in flora and fauna. Tribal groups like the
Bada gas, Toda’s, Kota’s, Irullas, Kurumba’s, Paniyas, Adiyans, Edanadan Chettis,
Aller, Malayan, etc., are native to the reserve. India's natural gold fields are also
located in the regions in and around Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve scattered in the
states of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

LOCATION
The reserve encompasses 5,520 km² in the states of Tamil Nadu (2537.6 km²),
Karnataka (1527.4 km²) and Kerala (1455.4 km²). It forms an almost complete ring
around the Nilgiri Plateau. The biosphere lies between 10°50′N and 12°16′N
latitude and 76°00′E to 77°15′E longitude.
The reserve extends from the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests,
tropical moist forests of the western slopes of the Ghats to the tropical and
subtropical dry broadleaf forests tropical dry forests on the east slopes. Rainfall
ranges from 500mm to 7000mm per year. The reserve encompasses three
ecoregions, the South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests, South Western
Ghats montane rain forests, and South Deccan Plateau dry deciduous forests.

Fauna
Fauna includes over 100 species of mammals, 370 species of birds, 80 species of
reptiles, about 39 species of fish, 31 amphibians and 316 species of butterflies. It
is home to Mammals like Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, black panther, gaur, Indian
elephant, chital deer, sambar deer, blackbuck, Indian brown mongoose, honey
badger, Malabar giant squirrel, Nilgiri marten, and Nilgiri tar. The Primates here
are lion-tailed macaque, Bonnet macaque, Nilgiri langur, and gray langur. Reptiles
found here are Indian python, king cobra, Indian cobra, and mugger crocodile.
The birds here are Indian peacock, Nilgiri pipit, Nilgiri laughing thrush, Nilgiri
flycatcher, great Hornbill, and Malabar grey hornbill.
It has the largest population of two endangered species, the lion-tailed macaque
and Nilgiri tar. The Nilgiri biosphere reserve hosts more than 400 tigers, having
more tigers than any other place on earth.

Flora
The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is very rich in plant diversity. Tropical rainforest
habitat is dominant but Montane Forest and Tropical moist forest habitats are
also found. About 3,300 species of flowering plants can be seen here. Of the 3,300
species, 133 are endemic to the reserve. The genus Pekilocerin is exclusively
endemic to the Nilgiris. Some of the plants entirely restricted to the Nilgiri
Biosphere Reserve include species of Adenoon, Cal canthus, Biolipids, Frerea,
Jardin, Wagatea, Pekilocerin, etc.
Of the 175 species of orchids found in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, eight are
endemic. These include endemic and endangered species of Vanda, Liparis,
Bulbophile and Trispermous. The Shola montane temperate grasslands of the
reserve are a treasure house of rare plant species.
About 80% of flowering plants reported from Western Ghats occur in Nilgiri
Biosphere Reserve.

STATUS OF NILGIRI BIOSPHERE: