'Barren' tag hurts western ghats plateaus

PUNE: On the Anjaneri plateau about 20 km from Nashik, one can find the flower of a plant found nowhere else in the world. This highly endemic species of the Ceropegia genus (not even found in the other plateaus in Nashik district) was discovered in 2006. But nobody knows how long it will still be around.
The plateau has a mythological connect with Lord Hanuman it is believed to be his birthplace and every March on Hanuman Jayanti hordes of pilgrims flock to the temple located on the plateau, trampling upon much of the vegetation.
"When the pilgrims come in March, the plant is not flowering, but when so many people walk through, it compresses the soil beneath. The tubers of the plant need loose soil above them to germinate in the first showers of rain," said Jui Pethe, whose research is focused on the vegetation of the plateau.
Tourism, whether religious or otherwise, is one of the biggest threats to the ecology of these plateaus.
Making a striking comparison between two of the most well-known plateaus of the northern Western Ghats, researcher Prerna Agarwal said, "At one point, the tableland in Panchgani would have been as lush as the Kaas plateau. Indeed, many of the species that are plateau specialists were first found there, but over time it has lost most of its biodiversity."
Incredibly, a part of the plateau at Panchgani has been converted into a parking lot with an addition of an entertainment zone with giant wheels and toy trains. Horse rides offered on the plateau have led to destruction of the thin soil layer, said Aparna Watve, an expert on these plateaus.
Since many of the plants have evolved specific adaptation to the unique conditions, the plateaus are home to several rare and endemic species. The Kaas plateau itself has about 35 endemic plant species of which five are rare and critically endangered, Watve said.
Aponogeton satarensis is a plant found in only five sites in Satara district and has been classified as endangered by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
"The plant is a rock outcrop specialist and we like to think of it as the flagship species of the plateaus of Satara. Interestingly, the species has separate male and female plants, like the papaya plant," said Agarwal.
To the untrained eye, the forked purple-and-white flower stalks of Aponogeton satarensis look the same, but experts can tell them apart. While unchecked tourism at Kaas is certainly one of the threats, this plant also faces other challenges.
The high altitude and open treeless landscape of the privately owned plateaus of Satara district are considered ideal locations for wind farms. More than 800 windmills are present on a single plateau near Satara. It comes at a high environmental cost because a network of roads, power lines and fences has fragmented the habitat, said Watve.
Conservation of these plateaus as a whole is important not only because of the presence of endemic species, but also because other plants have developed adaptations that aren't common elsewhere. Aerides is an orchid that usually can be seen growing on trees, but at Kas one can find its fragrant flowers in rock crevices.
"I do not understand why despite this bounty of life, the term barren invariably accompanies descriptions of the plateaus," Watve said. The fact that these plateaux appear "barren" for most of the year, turning lush green only during the monsoons has been exploited by vested interests.
"The environment impact assessment required for environmental clearances for projects are never conducted in the monsoon months when the rich biodiversity of the region is most visible," Agarwal said.
Threats faced by plateaus:
Irresponsible tourism
Grazing by cattle
Government schemes for reclamation of wastelands for cultivation have affected some plateau areas in Pune district
Quarrying
Bauxite mining in Kolhapur has already destroyed several rich plateaus
Windfarms
Even a small seed stuck inside the tyre of a vehicle or your shoe can result in a garden weed being introduced to the habitat and compete with the existing plants for nutrients