Last remaining patches face threat
The HinduOnce a pristine rainforest and one of the most bio-diverse regions in the Nilgiris, the Gudalur-Pandalur landscape has become a proverbial minefield for wildlife, attempting to cling on to the last remaining patches of the degraded rainforest. Among these fragmented bio-diverse landscapes is the O’Valley region that, owing to the “undecided” nature of the land’s status, is at risk of becoming overrun by “encroachers and trespassers”. O’Valley, once known as Ouchterlony Valley, after James Ouchterlony who established tea estates in the region 150 years ago, is home to old-growth native forests. While the upper slopes of O’Valley have been declared as forest areas within major tea estates under Section 53 of the Janmam Estates Act, a majority of the land has been brought under Section 17 of the Act. Tarsh Thekaekara, founder, Shola Trust, says the issue was “quite complex” as O’Valley was one of the first areas in Gudalur that was settled and tea plantations were set up.
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