Rare freshwater swamps in the Western Ghats are on the cusp of extinction
Rare Myristica freshwater swamps in India's Western Ghats are facing extinction due to habitat loss from logging and agricultural conversion. Researchers emphasize the ecological importance of these ancient ecosystems and call for urgent conservation measures.
Why it matters
These swamps are critical for flood regulation and groundwater recharge, and their loss threatens significant biodiversity in the region.
In the heart of the Western Ghats lies a rare conglomeration of freshwater swamps, restricted to a patch in Kulathupuzha, Kerala: it consists of plants with pneumatophores (aerial roots that grow vertically out of water) and stilt roots adapted to waterlogged conditions and they support a plethora of fauna. They are ecologically crucial in regulating floods, recharging groundwater, offering a perennial flow of freshwater.
But, these ‘Myristica swamps’ that represent “one of the most primitive” ecosystems in India, are under siege from logging and conversion into paddy fields or tea plantations and areca nut, oil palm, and teak farms, cautioned a paper published in Current Science.
The conservation of these swamps requires urgent habitat protection, biodiversity documentation and molecular tools such as DNA barcoding to identify species and long-term ecosystem management, the paper added.
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