Project Nilgiri Tahr is helping T.N. Forest Department better conserve ecology of Mukurthi National Park in Nilgiris: experts

Project Nilgiri Tahr in Mukurthi National Park focuses on conservation, understanding ecology, and removing invasive species for habitat improvement.

The Shola-grassland ecology of Mukurthi National Park (MNP), the conservation of its endemic flora and fauna, and the positive impacts of removal of invasive species from the landscape are being more thoroughly understood as a result of the Tamil Nadu State government’s flagship conservation programme - Project Nilgiri Tahr to help conserve the State animal.

Home to one of the largest populations of the Tahr in Tamil Nadu, the conservation of the keystone species is leading to better understanding of the ecology of relatively less-studied Mukurthi National Park, experts said.

According to C. Vidhya, Deputy Director of the Mukurthi National Park, one of the key takeaways from the project is understanding the diet of the Nilgiri Tahr population inhabiting Mukurthu. “The diversity of grasses in the habitats of the Tahr, and what it feeds on is being better understood,” she said, adding that the availability of endemic species of grasses, some of which are only found within the park, is a source of scientific interest.

“There is some overlap between what Tahr populations consume in other parts of their range within the State when compared with the population within MNP, but the population within MNP also consumes certain grasses that are found only within the reserve,” said Ms. Vidhya.

Learnings from these findings could prove crucial in safeguarding the future of the species, as the Forest Department is considering reintroducing the Tahr into areas where they have become locally extinct over the last two centuries.

“Understanding the diet of the Tahr will mean that any potential reintroduction plan will involve ensuring the grasses it depends on are also reintroduced to where the animals will be released. This is also helping the Forest Department in identifying and understanding the importance of native grasses,” said a conservationist from the Nilgiris, who has been following the project to conserve the species.

Ms. Vidhya said that the Forest Department also plans a survey of the complete floral composition of the area to understand the floral biodiversity contained within the park, and to potentially help in conserving flora that are at risk of extinction such as grasses like Eriochrysis rangacharii and trees like the Rhododendrom arboreum nilagiricum.