Sigur - To Safeguard an Ecological Paradise
With the fire season around the corner, forest
officials across the country are on tenterhooks. Last year’s memory of the
Great Bandipur Fires is still fresh in everyone’s mind and efforts are underway
to ensure that such incidents do not occur in future. One landscape that
deserves a special mention is the ecologically fragile region of Sigur which forms
a critical ecosystem within the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
Sigur which lies north to the Nilgiri massif is a distinct ecosystem and an important communication zone but has never been occupied for long by non-indigenous groups. 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 this tribal dominated vast scrub land. Even the evidence of population variance tells tales 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. 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. 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 has forever been an area in flux.
The forests are contiguous with those found in sanctuaries like Wayanad, Mudumalai and Bandipur Tiger Reserve. In the east, the forest cover extends to the Sathyamangalam region, in the west it borders the Mudumalai forests, in the north, the Moyar Gorge separates it from the Mysore Plateau and in the south, the Nilgiri massif presents a formidable front. 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.
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 up to 8 months. This diversity in rainfall has led to the profusion of a unique floral diversity harboring 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. However, these forests are subject to intense biotic pressure from both fire as well as grazing and quite often found to be highly degraded and are then referred to as open forest.
Though remote, these forests were 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 more than two-thirds of the Sigur plateau. The colonial state extracted revenue from commercial exploitation of valuable trees like sandalwood. Besides, a large number of farmers from the upper Nilgiris let their cattle in for grazing. 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.
Sigur which lies north to the Nilgiri massif is a distinct ecosystem and an important communication zone but has never been occupied for long by non-indigenous groups. 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 this tribal dominated vast scrub land. Even the evidence of population variance tells tales 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. 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. 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 has forever been an area in flux.
The forests are contiguous with those found in sanctuaries like Wayanad, Mudumalai and Bandipur Tiger Reserve. In the east, the forest cover extends to the Sathyamangalam region, in the west it borders the Mudumalai forests, in the north, the Moyar Gorge separates it from the Mysore Plateau and in the south, the Nilgiri massif presents a formidable front. 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.
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 up to 8 months. This diversity in rainfall has led to the profusion of a unique floral diversity harboring 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. However, these forests are subject to intense biotic pressure from both fire as well as grazing and quite often found to be highly degraded and are then referred to as open forest.
Though remote, these forests were 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 more than two-thirds of the Sigur plateau. The colonial state extracted revenue from commercial exploitation of valuable trees like sandalwood. Besides, a large number of farmers from the upper Nilgiris let their cattle in for grazing. 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.
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 inward migration has been reduced
due to a slump in tourism after a supreme court ruling on removal of unauthorized
resorts.
Sigur Ghat is home to diverse communities. The entire region is essentially a continuation of Mudumalai with few traditional 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. 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.
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 phenomenon of wildlife tourism which are a harbinger of social change bringing with them positive as well as unwanted benefits to the people. These ongoing tourism activities, under the guise of well-intentioned policies of ecotourism could possibly form a great threat to the wildlife of the region.
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 due to rapid 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, but the situation is likely to ease as a result of the increased emphasis on protecting elephant corridors.
The key 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 needs to be protected from the pressures of illegal setting of fires in these critical months.
Sigur Ghat is home to diverse communities. The entire region is essentially a continuation of Mudumalai with few traditional 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. 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.
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 phenomenon of wildlife tourism which are a harbinger of social change bringing with them positive as well as unwanted benefits to the people. These ongoing tourism activities, under the guise of well-intentioned policies of ecotourism could possibly form a great threat to the wildlife of the region.
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 due to rapid 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, but the situation is likely to ease as a result of the increased emphasis on protecting elephant corridors.
The key 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 needs to be protected from the pressures of illegal setting of fires in these critical months.
(Credit – Keystone Foundation)
