NILGIRIS: Forest Minister R V Ranjith Kumar on Saturday inaugurated an interpretation centre for Nilgiri Marten and Nilgiri Pipit species on the premises of Government Arts College, Udhagamandalam, at a cost of Rs 25 lakh.
The centre, inaugurated in the presence of District Collector Lakshmi Bhavya Taneeru and Field Director of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) R Kiruba Shankar, will sensitise visitors about the Nilgiri Marten and Nilgiri Pipit, two lesser-known animal and bird species of the district.
The Nilgiri Marten is an elusive carnivorous mammal found mainly in the Shola and Montane Forests of the Western Ghats and is considered an important indicator of the health of the region’s forest ecosystem.
Meanwhile, the Nilgiri Pipit is difficult to spot because it is a small, near-threatened bird that camouflages well in grassy habitats, although it prefers open grasslands.
The centre has a biologist and a technical assistant. Apart from explaining information about the two species to visitors, particularly students, the staff will conduct awareness programmes at schools and colleges. Students from educational institutions will also be brought to the centre as part of the awareness activities.
The Nilgiris DFO Kashyap Shashank Ravi said the centre would create awareness about the habitat, protection and breeding of the two species and promote research and education related to them.
According to sources, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department plans to set up similar centres in a few districts to create awareness about lesser-known species found in those regions.
"While the Nilgiri Pipit thrives only in high-elevation grasslands, the Nilgiri Marten is found only in shola patches of the Western Ghats in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. The Nilgiri Marten is found across the Nilgiris Forest Division," said the DFO.
He also added, "As India’s only endemic marten, the Nilgiri Marten serves as an ecologically significant indicator of the integrity and connectivity of high-elevation forest habitats. Also known as Martes gwatkinsii, it is a Western Ghats endemic whose evolutionary isolation has produced a distinct lineage found nowhere else on Earth.
Meanwhile, the Nilgiri Pipet's restricted range and dependence on native grasslands habitats make it a sensitive biological indicator of ecological changes across the upper Nilgiris".