Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve Research Articles

A new species of Chalcis Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae) from south India

The morphologically diverse and cosmopolitan chalcidid genus, Chalcis includes 59 species. Most of the species are distributed in the temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Till date only two species were recorded from the Oriental region. A new species, Chalcis biligiriensis from scrub forests of Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve (BRT) of the Western Ghats (Karnataka, India) is described. In addition, detailed illustrations of C. gibsoni Narendran for the first time along with an illustrated key to the identification of the Oriental species are provided.

Diversity and distribution of Pteridophytes in Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve, Karnataka

An updated list of the pteridophytes known to occur in the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve has been presented. It comprises two classes, 24 families, 49 genera, and 102 species, including 11 subspecies. Four families were identified as monotypic. Among the 102 species collected, six were endemic to south India, 10 were confined to south India and Sri Lanka, and eight were in the threatened category. We make available baseline biodiversity information on the pteridophytes of the study area and provide details on taxonomic diversity and distribution along the elevation gradient. The relationship between elevation and species richness in the study area showed a unimodal pattern. Color photographs of species from each family are also provided. The presence of many threatened and endemic species in the area implies that a high priority should be given to protecting and conserving these species of pteridophytes in the BRT Tiger Reserve.

Checklist to the orchids of Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats, India

This paper provides a comprehensive account of the orchid diversity in the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve (BRTTR), Karnataka, India. A total of 97 orchid species belonging to 33 genera were documented. This includes 50 terrestrial and 47 epiphytic orchids, including one mycoheterotrophic orchid, Epipogium roseum, and a climbing leafless Vanilla walkerae. Additionally, 39 endemic orchids were documented during the study. The evergreen forests provide the most habitable conditions for the orchids in BRTTR. The present study adds 26 species to the orchid flora of BRTTR. About 49% of the orchid flora of Karnataka state and 32% of orchids of Western Ghats is found in BRTTR, making this area a microcenter for orchid diversity.

An inventory of endemic and near endemic angiosperm flora of Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve, peninsular India

The Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve is a biodiverse region of peninsular India that harbors a significant number of endemic and near-endemic angiosperm species. The present documentation reveals a total of 211 endemic taxa conserved in this reserve. Analysis show that the endemic flora is dominated by Western Ghats (57%) elements, followed by Eastern and Western Ghats elements (28%), peninsular endemic elements (9%), and Indian elements (6%). The present study reports two endemic species of Western Ghats Syzygium densiflorum (Myrtaceae) and Meineckia longipes (Phyllanthaceae) as new distribution records for Karnataka state. The family Orchidaceae harbors the maximum endemic taxa. A majority of endemic taxa are confined to the evergreen forest of the reserve, hence these forests need special attention for conservation.

Beyond fortress conservation: The long-term integration of natural and social science research for an inclusive conservation practice in India

The separation of people from their landscapes undergirds conservation action, especially in the global south. Such a ‘fortress conservation’ approach is based on the flawed idea that local people's use of forests endangers biodiversity and therefore habitats should be protected by force if necessary. Such a conservation approach runs contrary to the recent understanding that ecosystems once perceived as ‘wilderness’ have been transformed by people. Long-term interdisciplinary research has produced a nuanced understanding of the linkages between ecological and social processes. An example of such long-term engagement is a series of programmes by Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE) in the Western Ghats and the Himalayas. We describe programmes in four sites: Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger reserve, Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve, Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary and Vembanad Ramsar site. Our experiences highlight primarily, a broadening of the initial focus on the ecological dynamics to include social dimensions. Secondly, a programmatic rather than a project-mode approach has enabled a clear long-term vision. Third, the research and action work has continued a tradition in conservation science of field-based, empirical work driven by theory as well as produced grounded knowledge. Such a long-term ‘dirt on the boots’ approach has built a platform from which ATREE is able to launch programmes that have made an impact on livelihoods and landscapes. And finally, long-term engagement and a strong network of local actors have allowed us to implement and inform conservation policy.

Harvesting and Local Knowledge of a Cultural Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP): Gum-Resin from Boswellia serrata Roxb. in Three Protected Areas of the Western Ghats, India

Soliga tribes in the Western Ghats, India harvest some NTFPs (non-timber forest products) for religious purposes. They extract gum-resin from Boswellia serrata Roxb. in Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve (BRT), Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary (CWS), and Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary (MMH) in the state of Karnataka, India. They use gum-resin as a cultural offering to the deities in the temples in these study sites and in their households. The traditional harvesting practices adopted by the Soliga tribes in these protected areas, types of gum-resin extracted, and the nature of the extraction processes were examined. The research undertook 346 household surveys with gum-resin harvesters and non-harvesters across 15 villages, along with 60 field trips with the harvesters, during which field harvesting activities and practices were noted. Six different types of gum-resin were harvested, with marked differences between the three sites. Because of the different types of gum-resin, the quantities harvested were also significantly different between sites. Approximately 80% of the harvesters were aware of some harmful methods of harvesting gum-resin, and some harvesters highlighted that B. serrata trees would yield gum-resin only when damaged. Such damage could be human-made or through the effects of elephants, wind, Trigona honey harvest, deer horns or body rubbing and longhorn beetles. Most (81%) of the non-harvesters surveyed previously practiced gum-resin harvesting but had ceased for a variety of reasons, mostly because of insufficient demand and hence income from the sale of gum-resin, insufficient supply, or fear of wild animals in the forests. Considering these cultural practices, experiences, and beliefs of the Soliga communities can help inform management plans and conservation of the species in its natural habitat.

Political ecology of tiger conservation in India: Adverse effects of banning customary practices in a protected area

Protected areas have had significant impacts on local communities primarily through the physical removal of people. In some instances, people continue to live within protected areas due to the inability of the state to evict them. The restrictions on livelihoods placed on people living inside protected areas lead to in situ displacement. We show how conservation enclosures in the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve have produced a class of people that the state ‘lets die’ by banning customary practices such as fire use, hunting and harvesting of forest produce. Using longitudinal ethnographic, socio‐economic and ecological data, we demonstrate that conservation policy has alienated indigenous forest dwellers from their agricultural and forest‐land. The outcomes of conservation policy include dispossession through increased crop losses, reduced income from agriculture and forest produce, as well as a forest that is dominated by weeds due to fire suppression. The ban on hunting in particular has increased wildlife densities, which has enabled the state to accumulate revenues through the establishment of wildlife tourism facilities. All in all, centralized protected area governance has changed the relationships among people, forest and the state in a way that has produced adverse effects for both livelihoods and the ecosystem.

Evaluating a Survey Landscape for Tiger Abundance in the Confluence of the Western and Eastern Ghats

Due to the current depleting trends in tiger population, range countries have committed to double tiger numbers by the year 2022. However, some areas, including source sites, across the range countries lack scientifically estimated tiger numbers both at the larger landscape and at the protected area level. Here we report a population of tigers, from Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve (BRTTR), using camera trap based capture-mark recapture in a spatially explicit likelihood and Bayesian analyses that yielded an estimate of ~55 tigers with a density of about 6.8 tigers/100 km 2 . BRTTR nestled in a larger tiger landscape, perhaps contributes dispersing individuals to the adjoining forests, calling for integrated monitoring and management efforts for the entire landscape. This data set could help in designing long-term, landscape level plans and outcomes.

Conservation through Conversation:A Collaborative Corridor Restoration Initiative in the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve, Karnataka, India

Wildlife corridors are critical in maintaining ecological processes and wildlife management, but they are fragmented and degraded due to various land-use practices. It is crucial to restore wildlife corridors through participation of communities/institutions of the landscape. Ironically, however, most of the proposed conservation plans are devoid of them in conservation and policy-making. Therefore, valuing the onus of people and their inputs to restore and manage wildlife corridors would be a practical strategy. We are addressing this ‘restoration initiative’ in the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve, Karnataka, India by integrating knowledge from social and ecological sciences. The preliminary result indicates that, people and institutions from the landscape are willing to support the restoration efforts. This initiative would emerge as one of the successful, actionoriented and policy-driven projects in this landscape

Integrative Taxonomic Approach for Describing a New Cryptic Species of Bush Frog (Raorchestes: Anura: Rhacophoridae) from the Western Ghats, India.

A new cryptic species of bush frog Raorchestes honnametti sp. nov. is described from the south-eastern part of the Western Ghats, India. This newly described species belongs to the Charius clade and is morphologically similar to other clade members—R. charius and R. griet. Therefore, an integrative taxonomic approach based on molecular and bioacoustic analysis along with morphology was used to delimit the new species. Raorchestes honnametti sp. nov., is currently known only from Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve, a part of Biligiri Rangaswamy horst mountain range (a mountain formed due movement of two faults) formed during the Late Quaternary period (1.8–2.58 Ma). Discovery of cryptic species from a highly speciose and well-studied genus Raorchestes hints at the possible existence of several more cryptic species in this genus. We discuss the possible reasons for crypsis and emphasize the need for continued systematic surveys of amphibians across the Western Ghats.

Plant diversity and associated traditional ecological knowledge of Soliga tribal community of Biligiriranga Swamy Temple Tiger Reserve (BRTTR):A biogeographic bridge for Western and Eastern Ghats, India

The Biligiriranga Swamy Temple Tiger Reserve (BRTTR) is a chain of hills and important ecosystems, which forms the biogeographic ridge between two biodiversity rich areas namely the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats of India. The hills are being resided by the Soliga tribal community for the centuries and accorded with a status of Tiger reserve in December 2010 under Project Tiger administered by National Tiger Conservation Authority. The study was done on the traditional ecological knowledge of the people in healthcare system. A total of 108 plants belonging to 51 families have been identified, which the Soliga tribal community uses for curing various ailments. The local name, part used, disease cured and prescribed dosage are properly documented while developing detailed inventory on the plant biodiversity of the region. The ecological status of the plant species is also reported to understand their conservation status at global level. The ailments listed are categorized in major and minor ailments. The results indicate that 76% people still depend on traditional health care systems to cure minor ailments. However, 04% people depend on the traditional health care system to cure major diseases. And 33% people were found to be followed traditional and allopathic treatment for curing the major ailments like arthritis, asthma, diabetes, kidney stones, tuberculosis etc. Among the recorded species 09 are found under vulnerable category, followed by endangered (07), endemic (03), low risk-least concerned (02) and data deficient (01). Keeping change in policy scenario in view there would be possibility to relocate tribal community from some of the areas in core of BRTTR to other places. This shift coupled with various other factors for example restrictions on the collection of forest resources, change in socioeconomic setup, and acculturation which is taking place in the society, the ecological and indigenous knowledge of the region would face danger of vanishing. This study support India's initiatives of protecting TEK from patent issues where non-codified information was codified for the future use. And argues that the biodiversity conservation in protected areas requires regular monitoring of various species within the purview of human interactions on ecosystems for various needs.

Factors influencing the local scale colonisation and change in density of a widespread invasive plant species, Lantana camara, in South India

Identifying factors that underlie invasive species colonisation and change in density could provide valuable insights into the mechanisms of biological invasions and for invasive species management. We examined a suite of factors potentially influencing the landscape-level invasion of Lantana camara L., one of the most ubiquitous invasive species in South Asia. These factors included disturbance factors like forest fires, historical habitat modification, and edge effects, in addition to factors like propagule pressure and habitat suitability. We examined the relative importance of these factors on the colonisation and change in density of L. camara in the Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats, India. We used extensive (1997–2008) datasets tracking the presence and abundance of L. camara and combined these with corresponding data on disturbances, propagule pressure, and habitat suitability. We used an information-theoretic model selection approach to determine the relative importance of each factor on the colonisation and change in density of L. camara. Colonisation was mainly a function of proximity to already established populations (i.e. propagule pressure), whereas increase in L. camara density appeared to be constrained by high fire frequency. Research and management efforts need to recognize the multidimensional nature of mechanisms underlying L. camara’s success during different invasion phases when strategizing interventions to mitigate its effects.

Assessing Habitat Quality of Forest-Corridors through NDVI Analysis in Dry Tropical Forests of South India: Implications for Conservation

Most wildlife habitats and migratory routes are extremely threatened due to increasing demands on forestland and forest resources by burgeoning human population. Corridor landscape in Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve (BRT) is one among them, subjected to various anthropogenic pressures. Human habitation, intensive farming, coffee plantations, ill-planned infrastructure developments and rapid spreading of invasive plant species Lantana camara, pose a serious threat to wildlife habitat and their migration. Aim of this work is to create detailed NDVI based land change maps and to use them to identify time-series trends in greening and browning in forest corridors in the study area and to identify the drivers that are influencing the observed changes. Over the four decades in BRT, NDVI increased in the core area of the forest and reduced in the fringe areas. The change analysis between 1973 and 2014 shows significant changes; browning due to anthropogenic activities as well as natural processes and greening due to Lantana spread. This indicates that the change processes are complex, involving multiple driving factors, such as socio-economic changes, high population growth, historical forest management practices and policies. Our study suggests that the use of updated and accurate change detection maps will be useful in taking appropriate site specific action-oriented conservation decisions to restore and manage the degraded critical wildlife corridors in human-dominated landscape.

Small carnivores of Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve, Karnataka, India

During the present study in Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve (BRT), nine species of small carnivores viz., Jungle Cat Felis chaus, Rusty-spotted Cat Prionalilurus rubiginosus, Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis, Small Indian Civet Viverricula indica, Asian Palm Civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus, Striped-necked Mongoose Herpestes vitticollis, Ruddy Mongoose Herpestes smithii, Common Mongoose Herpestes edwardsii and Smooth-coated Otter Lutrogale perspicillata, were recorded using camera-trapping technique, transect walks, and night surveys. Vegetation type strongly influences the presence and abundance of each species. The most sightings of small carnivores occurred in dry deciduous forests. Among all the species, the Asian Palm Civet was the most abundant and was followed by the small Indian Civet. Compared to many other forests or regions in India, the sight records of the Rusty-spotted Cat were relatively higher in BRT. Although we were unable to use statistical methods to search for higher levels of interdependencies between forest types and small carnivore abundance, our study sheds light on patterns of small carnivore distribution in this unique habitat which bridges the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats.

Cross-Cultural Ecological Knowledge related to the use of plant biodiversity in the traditional health care systems in Biligiriranga-Swamy Temple Tiger Reserve, Karnataka

The present study was carried out in Biligiriranga-Swamy Temple Tiger Reserve (BRTTR), a hill range situated in the south eastern (Western Ghats) part of Karnataka, bordering Tamilnadu, India. An indigenous tribal community known as Soligas rely on nature and natural resources for livelihood. Soligas follow unique traditional cultural practices especially in the usage of medicinal plants for treating various ailments and diseases. The BRTTR is also inhabited by non tribal people and their settlements are mostly found at the foothills of this unique hill range. Our study was aimed at understanding the importance of medicinal plant species in the traditional medicine systems followed by tribal and non-tribal people. The cross cultural knowledge regarding medicinal plants possessed by different communities has so far been poorly documented. Therefore, the main aim of the present study was to document the cross-cultural ethnic knowledge of the people living in the same geographical area. We have found 50 plant species used in the traditional medicine systems by both the tribal (Soliga) and non-tribal communities. However, the modes of preparation with different ingredients for treating various ailments are not similar among the people of the region. Among the 50 species about 26 leaf species, and 24 plants root plants are used in the traditional health care systems, while a very few ailments are treated with 2 tuber species, 2 latex species and 1 flower species. Due to variety of factors, so the people continue to use diffrent plant specieis for treating various ailments. Among the plants recorded from the region, nearly 12% are used for curing cold and cough, skin infections, while less than 2.67% of the total plants documented are used for curing major diseases like malaria, Blood pressure. The results indicate that the people inhabited in and around BRTTR have unique ecological knowledge using plant biodiversity in traditional health care system. Limited literature is available on cross cultural ecological knowledge of the people living in similar geographical and ecological settings.

Estimating Asian Elephant, Elephas Maximus, Density Through Distance Sampling in the Tropical Forests of Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve, India

To determine abundance, density and distribution of wild animals, it is crucial to estimate populations using reliable sampling techniques. In most earlier studies, elephant populations were estimated employing block counts or dung counts, which provide biased estimates due to limitations of the methods. We estimated an Asian elephant population using distance sampling, a quantitatively robust technique, in Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve, a critical elephant conservation area in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in south India. We laid 33 transects with a total length of 93 km. We walked these transects five to 11 times amounting to a total of 795.5 km of walks. We collected data on location, number and age-sex classes through direct elephant sightings, using rangefinders, global positioning systems and compass. We used DISTANCE software for analysis. We estimated per km2 cluster density as 0.69 elephant herds, mean cluster size as 2.44, and elephant density as 1.7 animals. This amounts to a total of 713 elephants in 610 km2 of the sanctuary. A high percentage of males less than 30 years old and a low immature:adult female ratio indicated the severity of poaching in the recent past in the study region.