KOCHI: The Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) has identified five species of wild nutmegs for preservation, which are currently in the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in the Western Ghats.
The KFRI team, as part of its ‘Conservation Through Restoration of Wild Nutmegs’ programme, developed 11,000 saplings through vegetative propagation and planted them in natural habitats.
Wild nutmegs have high medicinal, economic and conservative values, compared to the ordinary nutmegs (Myristica Fragrans). The species identified in the Western Ghats are Myristica Malabarica, Myristica Beddomei, Gymnacranthera Farquhariana, Knema Attenuata and Myristica Fatua. Three of the species are endemic to India, while the two others are widely distributed.
These species are facing the major threat of habitat loss. Cultivation of wild nutmeg, which is of high medicinal and economic value, is limited because of its habitat-sensitive nature. It mainly grows in three habitats - evergreen ecosystem, myristica swamps and montane habitats.“Apart from a model study on conservation of economically important threatened species of the Western Ghats, the survey also focused on developing protocols, multiplication strategies and propagation of wild nutmegs,” said KFRI director-in-charge P G Latha.
According to P A Jose, principal investigator of the project, the KFRI team is monitoring growth of the saplings planted in various habitats.
He said that nearly 75 per cent of the saplings planted in the first phase had survived, encouraging the team to plant more saplings this year. After identifying the suitable habitats, saplings were planted in the Sholayar ranges; Kulathupuzha forest ranges; Shendurney wildlife sanctuary; Meppady in the Wayanad hill ranges and Agali in the Palakkad district.
According to Jose, another reason for the decline in the species is its heavy exploitation by tribesmen. “They pluck the fruit for collecting the seed arils (an aril that surrounds the nutmeg seed posseses medicinal and economic value). They throw away the seed carelessly, after collecting the aril. These seeds are recalcitrant in nature. As a result, germination will not take place and the species is fast disappearing from even its natural habitats,” he added.
The team also included research fellow C V Ranjith, and project associate P K Chandrasekhara Pillai.
