The Doom of Sigur and why we must keep a hawk's eye over that landscape

Sigur region forms a critical ecosystem within the Biosphere Reserve, a region that holds out both a great hope and a continual anxiety about its future.

Sigur which lies north to the Nilgiri massif is a distinct ecosystem often passed over in preference to the more popular and specialized niches, that lie adjacent to it. For eons, it has been an important communication zone but has never been occupied for long by outside communities. Comprising a vast plateau and stretching almost 20 km in length, it is a rich repository of culture and ecology.

Thick forest cover and ancient temples, battered forts and lively folk tales speak of the mysteries hidden in the vast scrub land. Even the population variance tells tales of stories we might never know fully. There are evidences of high population in Sigur and contiguous areas in Bandipur in ancient times, however the current low population density have made the area a frontier zone, an outpost of
civilization. From being the domain of Tipu Sultan to the British and now hosting wildlife sanctuaries, hydel power units and a rapidly growing threat to its biodiversity, Sigur is forever an area in flux.

Forests

The forests are contiguous with those found in sanctuaries like Wynaad, Mudumalai and Bandipur Tiger Reserve. In the east, the forest cover extends to the Sathyamangalam region, in the west it borders the Mudumalai Sanctuary, in the north, the Moyar Gorge separates it from the Mysore Plateau and in the south, the Nilgiri massif presents a formidable front.

Lying on the eastern part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, most of the plateau lies in the rain shadow region with average rainfall varying from 1400 mm in the western most edge to less than 800 mm in the eastern regions with a dry season of upto 8 months. The mean temperature does not go below 15oC.

This diversity in rainfall has led to the profusion of a unique floral diversity harbouring giant trees along the riverine patches, multiple canopy layers in the west and an almost desert like stunted vegetation on the east. Though presenting a desolate view, the scrub lands are host to numerous floral and faunal species and its importance cannot be undermined.

There are upto three storey levels of trees. Scrub woodland forms a major portion of the eastern part; it consists of groups of trees separated by thickets either derived from a dense forest by exploitation of the upper tree stratum, or from an open forest by the invasion of bushy species. The tree stratum can reach a height of upto 12 mts. These forests are subject to intense biotic pressure from both fire as well as grazing. Quite often these forests are found to be highly degraded and are then referred to as open forest.

The Sigur forests lay under the domain of Vijayanagar and subsequently of Mysore rulers and the British. It is a crucial inter-frontier zone in South India.

However, these forests have been continuously disturbed ever since the British arrived. The British introduced several schemes and plans for working the forest. Besides exotic biota, crop varieties of cotton, tobacco, chilies, plants like lantana and opuntia were introduced. The latter proliferated like weeds all over the area. By 1905, however a large part of the area was declared a Reserve Forest amounting to upto 82.75% of the Sigur plateau. The colonial state extracted revenue from commercial exploitation of valuable trees like sandalwood. Besides, a large number of farmers let their cattle in for grazing. The sandalwood was sequentially exploited from more accessible to lesser accessible areas and by 1923 all the sandalwood trees in the accessible areas were exploited. By the fifth decade of the century, the natural vegetation was considerably altered and exotics like lantana and opuntia proliferated.

With Independence, came the thrust on hydel power projects (Pykara – Singara) and increasing emphasis on agriculture and pastoralism. Population increased and so did the demand on resources which dwindled at an alarming rate. The pressure on valuable resources can be observed by the land distribution in the area and the sharing of water resources.

Wildlife and its preservation

Being protected and located within or in the boundaries of the sanctuary area, the zone has a rich faunal population and has several species like Spotted Deer (Axis axis), Gaur (Bos gaurus), Tiger (Panthera tigris), Leopard (Panthera pardus), Elephant (Elephas maximus) and so on. However, the situation was not so during the earlier times. The British state gave exclusive privileges to the ruling elite for shikar and game in the plateau and a Nilgiri Game Association was formed in 1877 to regulate game hunting. The local groups were legally excluded from utilizing any of the wild animals as food. However, snaring of small game continued all through.

With Independence came the thrust on hydel power projects and increasing emphasis on agriculture and pastoralism. Population increased and so did the demand on resources which dwindled at an alarming rate.

By this time, wildlife conservation was initiated following the drastic depletion of the forest and restrictions have been placed on the wanton destruction of resources. Today, a large part of the area is reserved and is contiguous with the present day Mudumalai sanctuary. Though the rise of towns like Masinagudi and Singara threaten to disturb the ecology of the area, yet the very fact that the area is still inaccessible over large parts makes it safe from intense degradation. Currently, the situation is relatively stable as there is little inward migration. Besides, the forests are highly restricted and not exploited for commercial
reasons.

However, the recent growth of wildlife tourism has encouraged private land owners, especially at Bokkapuram and Singara to convert fallow lands into resorts focusing on park tourism. Much of these lands, which were uncultivated and as private forests, are slowly changing. This land use is threatening the movement of elephants and other mammals. The land holding pattern suggests that forest villagers have very less land, usually between one acre to five acres. However, it is the outsiders who own large chunks of land which prove to be major obstacles to elephant movement.

People

Sigur Ghat is home to diverse communities. The entire region is essentially a continuation of the Mudumalai sanctuary and is sparsely populated. There are few villages and are mostly inhabited by the Irulas, Kasavas and Jenu Kurumbas. Hunting, food gathering and agriculture form a distinctive way of making a living, which now they do mainly for commerce. They are good hunters of small game and collect NTFPs in large communities. Living adjacent to forests, they tap many of its resources and carry on trade with outsiders. Agriculture forms a major part of their livelihood and accounts for more than 50% of income in many areas. The other sources of livelihood include daily wage labour, and some minor forms of barter amongst the community members. Their mixed income source strategy makes them less dependent on any one resource for their livelihood.

The region has a long and diverse history and is known to lie on major communication routes of ancient south India. Though much of the land is now uninhabited, yet if we dig further we find traces of history lying strewn about. Dolmens, menhirs, ancient temples speak highly of the prehistoric cultures in the area and evocative names, forts and leftover relics articulate suggestively of an exciting history of the bygone era.

The Kasabas are the major adivasi group and they live in large settlements, averaging 80 households. Presently, their houses are mainly built with the support of the panchayat or the Forest Department. Living close to a wildlife rich area, these adivasis are adept in the forest. They are good NTFP collectors and have a high economic dependence on this activity. They too, like the Irulas, collect NTFP in bulk and sell it to traders. They collect honey from trees and small rocks. They also hunt small game. The Kasabas are also herdsmen, looking after herds of cows, owned by the Badaga community from whom they get wages. However, this has created an extensive overgrazing pressure in the area. The whole area in which the Kasabas live, is under consideration for being declared a protected area, an extension of the Mudumalai Sanctuary.

Sigur in the Next Few Decades

The Sigur Plateau forms a conglomeration of unique features that make it so valuable as well as fragile. Forest fragmentation is a serious threat to the plateau. As observed in the land holding pattern, large parts of the region are classified as revenue forests and people have access to these lands. Sigur is also home to the new phenomenon of wildlife tourism and numerous resorts have sprung up in various corners of the reserve. These resorts are now a major harbinger of social change bringing with them positive as well as unwanted benefits to the people. These tourism activities, under the guise of well intentioned policies of ecotourism could possibly form a great threat to the wildlife of the region.

Ecologically, the Sigur plateau is an immensely fragile zone. Being fire prone and subject to frequent biotic pressure, the forests are constantly getting degraded.

There are seven settlements on the Sigur plateau, and six identified corridors used by elephants for movement and habitat that wind between their widening footprints, Reserved Forests (RFs), and the steep slopes of the Nilgiri hills to the south and those of the Moyar Gorge to the north. Most of these settlements were historically established along rivers and are now enclosed within revenue land boundaries. As their size has increased (mainly due to hydroelectric construction projects), development, agriculture and tourism, village lands have expanded to form a near-continuous boundary between the Sigur plateau’s RFs, leaving only narrow corridors. Animal movement and access to surface water is now largely prevented by human-made barriers such as electric fencing and agricultural activities.

The first priority therefore, is to generate awareness about the fragility of the region and stop regarding the open forests as a wasteland. For, wasteland it is not. Teeming with life, providing a bulwark against desertification of the ecozone and providing refuge to numerous wild animals, Sigur has its own ecological niche. As a major elephant corridor and as a transition zone between the Western and the Eastern Ghats, as a watershed for the Moyar and subsequently the Cauvery, the beauty of Sigur is multifaceted and clothed in myriad hues.