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THE NILGIRI BIOSPHERE RESERVE Kunal Sharma, Keystone Foundation, Tamil Nadu, India
The Nilgiri Mountains lend their name to the first designated Biosphere Reserve of India. The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (NBR) was selected to represent the bio-geographical zone of the Western Ghats. The Reserve was established in 1986 to conserve large tracts that are rich
KARNATAKA
biodiversity and to promote sustainable use of resources. in
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Darwin Project Sites
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NBR Boundary
126
Q
25
kilometers
The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve covers an area of 5.520 km?
relationships in the past, but are now fragmented and few in number, yet culturally connected. The richness of the Reserve has attracted many adventurers, researchers and anthropologists. The NBR is ecologically sensitive and vulnerable to
changes that threaten to engulf this fragile region. There has been much change over the past decades: large tracts of forested hills have been exploited and there have been alterations fo original land use.
The Upges
The Reserve is located in south-west India at the trijunction of the three southern states (see map): Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The NBR completely encircles the massive Nilgiri plateau and extends over diverse ecological, geological, cultural, climatic and geographical zones. Due to the enormous diversity, there are distinct forest types and numerous endemic species. It represents one of the world’s and 684 biodiversity hotspots with more than 3,700 plant species of which 156 are endemic. The NBR includes all vertebrates
species,
the important forest types that are found in South India.
The NBR has a significant percentage of indigenous people, who depend on the natural resources for their livelinoods. The indigenous people of the Nilgiris are amongst the most ancient community groups in southern India. They are traditionally hunter-gatherers and depend on the forest for their existence. The diverse communities had co-operative
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