A mission rolls out to protect rare and threatened flora of Tamil Nadu 

A mission rolls out to protect rare and threatened flora of Tamil Nadu 

Tamil Nadu, with its rich flora spread across a unique combination of the Western and Eastern Ghats, is on a mission to save some of the rare, endangered and threatened plants, of which many are endemic to the State.

More than 30 taxonomists of premier institutions in the country carried out an assessment of threat to the State’s flora and came out with a list of 25 plants. Conservation strategies will be designed for these plants under the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening Project for Climate Change Response.

The taxonomists initially shortlisted 100 plants for the exercise. They conducted a conservation assessment management and prioritisation (CAMP) workshop in collaboration with the Institute of Forest Genetics and Tree Breeding (IFGTB), Coimbatore, and 25 rare, endangered and threatened endemic plants were chosen for conservation and restoration.

M.U. Sharief, scientist ‘F’ and head of the Botanical Survey of India’s Southern Regional Centre, Coimbatore, said the taxonomists came up with the list of 25 plants by assessing their conservation status in four groups and considering various factors.

“The Forest Department will carry out population assessment surveys and come out with recovery plans for them. It will also collect the germplasm in ex-situ gardens. Some of the species are fewer than 500 or 1,000 individuals left in the wild. The remaining plants in the list of 100 will continue to be in the reckoning,” says I. Anwardeen, Additional Principal Conservator of Forests and Chief Project Director, the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening Project.

Besides their conservation status, the 25 shortlisted species were assessed for their economical, biological, cultural and ecosystem values, says A. Rajasekaran, scientist ‘F’ of the Forest Ecology and Climate Change Division, IFGTB.

“Since identification of the species in the wild is not very easy, we will help the Forest Department identify them, assess their population status and develop propagation techniques. Ecosystem improvement should also be carried out in places identified as micro-centres of endemism,” says Mr. Rajasekaran.