About Springs
Here’s a simplified understanding of Springs in the Nilgiris, particularly the upper areas. What are Springs? Springs are places in the soil or rock where groundwater emerges naturally. This could be a single point or a set of points close to each other. Springs that flow throughout the year are called perennial springs, whereas those […]
About Wetlands
Wetlands of the Nilgiri region are unique, unlike wetlands in general – these are small sized hill wetlands, life giving in nature…habitat for a variety of wildlife, flora and meet the needs of the people. These wetlands are fragmented in small random patches – with underground connectivity of water channels. There are no dramatic landscapes […]
Project Update
We have delineated the catchment of the major sources of water for the Municipality. We are in the process of collecting data on the land use pattern there. This would enable us to link the water flows in the source to possibilities of improvements in land use practices, which could form the basis of a […]
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The Nilgiris
The Nilgiris, Blue Mountains of South India, is located at the junction of the Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats, the two prominent mountain ranges that run almost parallel to the coastlines of Peninsular India. The high hills are a wonderful gift of Nature. Widespread forests and abundant water sources make the hills a fountainhead […]
What we did
Keystone conducted a baseline survey of 38 hill wetlands. We have mapped, inventorised flora, fauna and people dependence on wetlands. Wetlands have been classified in different categories as common property resources – in rural and urban areas and in private and protected areas. In each of these categories a threat assessment has been made and […]
Threats
Invasive species Wattle, Ulux spp., Cytissus spp., Lantana camara is widespread at all sites. Invasive were found growing on the edges of the swamps forming potentially harmful threats to the health of wetland systems. Exotics Eucalyptus species were found in upland regions along most of the protected wetlands. Visually, there seemed to be a lot […]
Unique wetlands
Conservation and Sustainable Management of Wetlands in key areas in the Nilgiris is a prime interest area of Keystone. One chill winter morning, we set out on an exploratory study of these wetlands and thus started the project. Wetlands of the Nilgiris are unique, unlike wetlands in general – these are small sized hill wetlands, […]
Methodology
The Objectives of the study was to – – Survey and mapping of crucial wetland habitats in the hill district of the Nilgiris, Tamil Nadu, India. – Assess the dependence of stakeholders upon wetlands. – Develop local wetland conservation and management plans – Initiate dialogue and advocacy with the government on declaring wetlands as important […]
Status
Wetlands are also a widely neglected ecosystem. Often regarded as wastelands, wetlands continue to be among the world’s most threatened regions. Most of them have been converted for agriculture, ongoing drainage, conversion, pollution, over-exploitation, fishing, real estate development and even building parks. The concern for conserving them have been steadily rising over the years and […]
