Forest Department banks on native wisdom of Muthuvan tribe for Nilgiri Tahr conservation

Muthuvan tribe join TN Forest Dept. to protect State animal, Nilgiri Tahr, by sharing traditional knowledge & helping prevent forest fires. They will be educated on collecting NTFPs without causing disturbance & involved in estimation works to conserve habitats.

Members of the Muthuvan tribe of the Anamalai hills, who are known for coexisting with the wildlife with their traditional knowledge, have joined hands with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department for a unique task.

According to the Department, they will be part of the Project Nilgiri Tahr, which is aimed at protecting the State animal, conservation status of which is ‘endangered’ in the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

S. Ramasubramanian, Conservator of Forests and Field Director of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), said the Department was engaging members of the Muthuvan tribe for a community-based conservation of the mountain ungulate, population of which was limited to highly fragmented habitats in the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

“Members of the Muthuvan tribe are known for their traditional knowledge and understanding of hills. They are already contributing a lot on the conservation front by sharing their knowledge about the flora and fauna and helping us in preventing forest fires. They know Tahr habitats very well and engaging them in the project will help us in achieving long-term conservation goals with the community support,” he said.

The Department will sensitise them to the importance of Nilgiri Tahr, involve them in estimation works and conserve the habitats of the animal, which prefers montane grasslands, with steep and rocky terrains at an altitude between 300 and 2,600 metres above sea level.

At present, members of the tribe collect non-timber forest products (NTFP) from forest areas including tahr habitats. The Department will educate them on collecting NTFPs like wild honey from tahr habitats without causing disturbance to them.

Muthavan tribesmen from ATR took part in the Nilgiri Tahr Day workshop which was held under the theme ‘A holistic approach towards community based conservation of Nilgiri Tahr’ in Coimbatore on Tuesday. Senior officials from the Forest Department, conservationists, biologists, members of the project team, representatives from various non-governmental organisations and students took part.