The Cauvery Valley – Where Biodiversity thrives
Very often,
an imagined view of ‘wild spaces’, bring to mind what we have often absorbed
through the popular media - Savannahs of Africa, the rainforests of Amazon, snow
laden tundra of Siberia or the vast iciness of Antarctica. In India, it is
difficult to imagine such huge stretches of wild- lands shared by humans and
wildlife. However, if you zoom in to the map, south of Bengaluru, you will be
surprised to see huge green spaces, somewhat fragmented but continuously
connected across southern Karnataka and north western Tamil Nadu.
Infact, in
many ways, the forests that start south of Bengaluru is connected all the way
to Kodagu and further upwards via a consolidation of large forest patches of
the Cauvery Sanctuary, Male Mahadeshwara hills, several forest pockets of Tamil
Nadu, K Gudi, Bandipur and Nagarhole Tiger Reserve. This almost 14000 square
kilometres and more sized landscape not only astonishes you for its scale but
also holds forth its claim as an ecological fortress where a vast expanse of
forests thrives brimming with wildlife and supporting a number of forest fringe
communities.
But it is
the Cauvery valley at the border of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka where the dramatic
nature of the eco-region blooms with elevations suddenly dropping to less that
250 metres and rising to 1500 metres. These altitudinal variations coupled with
the rainfall regime has led the valley to be modified into an amazing biome,
barely a small drive away from Bengaluru. However, the crown of this bountiful
landscape is the Cauvery River that flows fearlessly while nourishing the gigantic
Arjuna, Tamarind and Malabar Plum trees.
With a
predominantly dry climate - albeit rich with water from the Cauvery, the Palar
and several streams - the river system is unique in this stretch of the
Cauvery. In fact, the vitality of the river in the Kodagu hills revives and the
Cauvery could be seen crashing into huge rocks and forming deep pools. After
its journey through the Cauvery Valley, bound by dense forests on both sides,
the river enters Tamil Nadu through a series of wild gorges and falls at the
Smoking Stone or Hogenakkal.
This valley
is home to one of the most dramatic fauna seen anywhere in India, from the
endangered giant squirrel Orange-fin mahseer, the Smooth-coated otter
and the gigantic crocodile to a large population of river otters and the
tiger of all fishes - the Mahseer. The sanctuary is perhaps one
of the few places in the nation where one can sight the Grizzled Giant
Squirrel with certainty and with luck be able to see Elephants, Tigers,
Leopards, Sloth Bears, birds like Fish Eagles, Fish Owls, Hawk Eagles,
Kingfishers and Bee-eaters. Not only this, it supports a number of
forest-dwelling and forest-fringe communities whose lives and livelihoods
depend on forests, rivers and streams of this landscape.
The valley’s
uniqueness lies in its relative remoteness, inspite of being close to a
mega-city. Nature has created this valley and accorded protection to it. The
sheer drop from the Mysore plateau ensures that there is no unwanted entry into
the forests. Much of the original forests remain and all that you can hear is
the whistle of birds and the gush of the river. This setting brings forth much
needed life into the river systems and unleashes a wealth of diversity with
profuse fish populations and an abundance of other life forms. In lieu of its
isolated nature, the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary was instituted in the year 1987
with is being protected with zeal and determination in the current time. As one
of the last free flowing stretches left in this ancient river, it is paramount
to accord greater protection to the region in the coming years.
Kunal Sharma
and Abhijit Dutta
