Protecting Shola Forests - The Palni Project - II
Snehlata Nath

The fuelwood plantations project was part of an overall programme being implemented by Development Alternatives (DA) and Palni Hills Conservation Council (PHCC) in the Palni Hills, Tamil Nadu.  A general idea of the area, the people and the issues has already been provided in the previous issue of the newsletter. 

The objective of this project was to evolve strategies to reduce the pressure on the forests from adjacent settlements.  Investigations revealed that fuelwood collection was the major cause of deforestation.  Subsequently, research focused on this aspect and specific recommendations were made for implementation.  The project, now about a year-and-a-half old, clearly demonstrates that active involvement of the people and positive assistance from the Forest Department can contribute significantly towards protecting forest cover. 

Found at an elevation of 1800 m and more, ‘sholas’ are tropical evergreen montane forests.  They grow in the folds and valleys, nestling between rolling grasslands.  One of the most biologically diverse forest types, ‘sholas’ have species like Elaeocarpus spp., Photinianotoniana, Daphniphyllum spp., Syzigium spp., etc.  They are also the home of the gaur, sambar, barking deer, Nilgiri langur, and the rarely sighted, Nilgiri tahr.  The Malabar giant squirrel and the bonnet macaque are also found here.

‘Sholas’ are important catchments and play an important role in the hydrology of the hills.  The floor of the ‘sholas’, with their thick accumulated layers of humus acts as a sponge that retains at least a third of the rain water and releases it gradually during the year.  Such sponge action of the ‘sholas’ ensures perennial streams.

This primary vegetation is confined to isolated pockets.  As for ‘sholas’, only Mathikettan (100 ha.) and Kookal (300 ha), both now listed as nature reserves, are of significance.

The forests are characterised by fragmentation and gradual denudation.  One of the major reasons is the introduction of commercial plantations of Wattle and Eucalyptus since 198.  These now cover most of the upper Palni hills, and have destroyed over 200 sq. kms. of pristine grasslands and ‘shola’.

Moreover, the conversion of grassland for agricultural purposes and the dependence on forests for meeting the requirements of fuelwood, timber and fodder, has further contributed to the denudation of the natural habitats of the area.

The figure below outlines the main threats the gamut of possible interventions.

Three main ‘shola’ patches were selected for detailed study, Tiger, Kookal and Pambar Shola.  In Pambar Shola, Development Alternatives intended to implement the fuelwood plantation scheme.  This paper covers the research and implementation work in two settlements near Pambar Shola - Vattakanal and Pambarpuram.

Pambar Shola has been reported to have six extremely rare and endangered tree species.  It also forms the catchment for the Pambar River, which flows into the Vaigai basin.  It is being degraded by indiscriminate cutting of trees by people from Vattakanal and Pambarpuram settlements.

Vatakanal is located six kilometres from Kodaikanal town at an elevation of 2,200 metres.  The population of the village is estimated at around 400.  About two-thirds of the villagers are small and marginal farmers with landholdings between one cent to five acres.  Besides, there are 48 landless families, including 40 Sri Lankan repatriates settled here with three cents each.

Pambarpuram is located at a distance of three kms. from Kodaikanal town.  With an approximate population of 2,000 (420 households) the people either work as ‘coolie’ labour or as salaried employees in the town.  The land holdings of the residents range between 0.05 and 1 acre.  The common land use pattern comprises a few fruit trees, mainly pears and plums, and a vegetable garden.

The residents of Vattakanal settlement use Pambar Shola essentially for meeting their daily fuelwood requirement.  The shola comes under additional stress form the Sri Lankans who can no longer secure enough wood from the Dolphin’s Nose shola, of which just a strip remains.  The residents of Pambarpuram meet their fuelwood needs mainly from commercial plantations of the accacia species.  The average fuelwood consumption is 10 kgs daily for each household.  The annual consumption of the area works out as 1,971 tonnes, of which 30-40 percent is ‘shola’ wood.

Wood is also used for construction, covering wells and making ladders.  Wattle and Eucalyptus are he preferred species, though ‘shola’ species like Syzigium arnottianum, Michelia champaca and Photinia notoniana are also used.

Grazing is prevalent, both on private land and in sholas.  The pressure is not as heavy on the ‘sholas’ as on the Wattle plantation and river banks.  However, in Vattakanal, where there are approximately 40 cows (R. Steward, pers. Comm., 1991), grazing is largely confined to the two sholas.  They damage forests by grazing seedlings and thereby preventing regeneration, as well as compacting the soil.

Based on the survey of individual household needs and the pressure on the shola, the following recommendations were made for the two settlements:

Of these recommendations, some were taken up for implementation at Vattakanal village.  This required liaison with the Forest Department, and regular meetings with the people. 

As a first step, a nursery was started in the village at Vattakanal which had a few shola species and now has about 4,800 saplings.  These are a combination of commercial, fast growing and good timber species and fruit trees.  Some experiments with fodder grasses were also tried in the nursery, of which the better varieties were given to interested villagers. 

Approximately 2,000 saplings were planted on private land, totalling 22 acres.

The willingness to grow trees, however, was not as high as expected.  In some families the participation level was high; in others most of the work was done by the project team.  It was evident from the beginning of this effort that the villagers prefer fruit trees, which would give them direct monetary benefit.

With the help of the Forest Department, the land adjacent to Pambar Shola was planted with indigenous species.  This 2.5 ha of land was adjacent to the road leading to the village, therefore protection was essential, from villagers, tourists and livestock.  The Forest Department decided to fence off the area, to prevent the misuse of the forest.

The combination of efforts put in by the people of Vattakanal, the state Forest Department and Development Alternatives has helped in protecting the Pambar Shola.  q

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