The Rain Forests of Kerala
By Devadathan Anand Year 3-D, Sheffield Private school Dubai, UAE
# A B C D 7 8
Chapter About this book Introduction Strata Wildlife Importance Forest people Threats Protection
Page 2 3 4-6 6-8 8-10 10 11 11
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About this book
This is the first time I am writing a book. I want to write about tropical rainforests of Kerala because I had been there . I haven’t explored the forest much yet. But now I learned tropical forests are important, so I am writing a book about it. My dad helped me with important stuff like the “did you know” boxes, collecting photographs and neatly typing this. I should really thank him. I am writing what I could find about these wonderful forests. I hope you will enjoy it and get useful information reading my book. Devadathan 17-11-2014
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Introduction
Kerala rainforests are located at the southern tip of India. You can reach Kerala by airplane, sea, train or bus. The Kerala rainforests are part of South Western Ghats tropical rainforests (shown in the map above). People from all over the world used to come to Kerala to buy pepper, perfume and honey produced by these forests in ancient days. Now, thousands of tourists from all countries come every year to see its beauty. In this book, we will learn about its different layers, wildlife, importance, threats and protection. The photographs are collected from Wikipedia, with permission to use.
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A.
Strata
The rain forest has four layers called strata. Emergent layer, canopy layer, understory and forest floor.
1.
Emergent Layer
An emergent tree in the rain forest.
The emergent is top part of a huge , tall tree. Some birds live up in the emergent. The emergent layer is much higher than the canopy. Birds and some animals live on emergent.
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2.
Canopy Layer
Great Indian Hornbill perched on canopy.
The canopy is the top parts of small trees. Lots and lots of birds and animals live up in the canopy.
3.
Understory
An owl chick found a safe Place in the understory.
The understory is the wood part of the tree of the forest. You may find animals like tree frogs, squirrels and birds in the understory.
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4.
Forest Floor
A cow elephant & her calf grazing on the forest floor
The forest floor is the ground of the forest. You may find the soil wet because it mostly rains out there in the rainforest. This is where most of the big animals live.
B. Wildlife Kerala rainforests have a variety of birds, mammals reptiles, frogs, fish and insects. It also has many species of trees and other plants.
1. Birds Did you know?
Eyes of eagles are four to eight times powerful than ours. Eagles have three eyelids. One for blinking, second for sleeping and the third for cleaning and keeping the eye healthy.
A peacock performing it’s amazing dance
There are many birds wood pigeons, hornbills, eagles, songbirds, oriental tree-pies, l great Indian hornbills peafowl, Indian cormorants .There are 453 species of birds in the rainforests of Kerala.
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2. Mammals Did you know?
The Indian Bison weighs over 1,000 kilograms and has a bad temper. It may sometimes attack you without any provocation. Worse, it may even call other Indian Bison and form an army to charge and smash you.
A Bengal Tiger yawning
We have the most famous mammals such as the Asian elephant, Bengal tiger and the sloth bear. Asian elephant is the largest animal of our forests and Bengal tiger is the largest cat.
3. Reptiles Did you know?
The venom (poison) of the King Cobra can kill an elephant. However these snakes are very gentle and will not harm humans, unless we hurt them. An Indian cobra ready to attack.
There are several highly poisonous snakes like the King Cobra ,Viper and non-poisonous snakes like the python and rat snake. There are also some turtles and alligators in our forests.
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4. Trees Did you know?
A wild orchid flower
Flower of the ironwood tree
Before invention of matches and lighters, people in India used to make fire by rubbing together hard sticks obtained from Flame of the Forest Trees
There are a many trees in our rainforest. Some are very tall like the Teak. There are also many weird and amazing flowering plants such as the orchids, which apparently grows on trees!
C. Importance Our forests are very important to us and also to the whole world.
1. Water Did you know?
Water from the ocean forms clouds and the wind blows it over land. When the clouds reach these forests, it cools the clouds causing rain. Thus, the rain forests along with wind makes drinking water out of seawater. A small stream in the Kerala rainforest floor
Over 40 rivers beginning from the rain forests gives all the needed water for drinking and farming. The rivers of Kerala have a major role in the environment. They are also used for transport and provide many fish for our food.
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2. Electricity
Did you know?
Kolumban, a man from the forest people living in Kerala found the right place to build Idukki Dam, world’s third tallest arch dam. A dam across a river in Kerala.
Most of the electricity we have is made by building dams across rivers starting from the rainforests of Kerala. When a dam is made, it builds up a lot of water. The force of this water is used to turn machines known as generators to produce electricity.
3. Home of rare animals
Did you know?
The Purple Frog, found only in this tropical rain forest lives underground for the whole year, except for one week when it comes out to lay eggs. This animal had been on earth for over 100 million years and is hence called a “living fossil�.
Giant Malabar Squirrel, an animal endemic to these forests.
Rainforests of Kerala are the home to thousands of wild animals . Some of them exist only here and hence if these rainforests are damaged all of these rare animals will die.
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4. Food & herbs Did you know?
Christopher Columbus of Portugal tried to reach India, lost his way and landed in America instead. Some years later Vasco Da Gama found the correct route and landed in Kerala in 1498 to buy pepper and cinnamon. A pepper plant
Forests of Kerala have important spices like pepper and mint . Also perfumes like sandal was made from its trees. People from ancient Greece, Rome, Arabia and Egypt used to visit us to buy these since thousands of years.
D.
The Forest People Did you know?
Hundreds of years ago, many tribes of Adivasis were brilliant warriors. An unjust king in Kerala of old days, backed by British army, demanded a very high tax on rice produced by the Adivasis. Enraged, an Adivasi man and his fellow warriors armed with bows and arrows attacked a fort and killed an entire battalion of soldiers who had guns and cannons.
An elderly Adivasi couple
Thousands of forest people live in the rainforests of Kerala . They are called Adivasis . Like all other forest people of the world, they are very poor and are having problems in work as forest herb and honey collectors and farmers. Their children do not get proper education, since the schools are far away. Also hospitals are far away so they do not get proper medicine. The Adivasis of Kerala are now doing a “stand up strike” before the Chief Minister’s office asking for some protection and land to live.
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E. Threats Did you know?
The Veerappan Gang lived in the dense forests, hence it was next to impossible to capture them. It took several decades of operations costing Governments about 60 million Dirhams to defeat him. Over 150 brave commandos, policemen and forest officers lost their lives during the fights with Veerappan gang .Finally, Veerappan was killed by commandos disguised as ambulance crew.
The Veerappan gang, the worst poachers of our times.
There are illegal hunters of animals . They are called poachers. They kill animals and sell their body parts. Elephants are killed to take their tusks, used for making ivory. Also people illegally cut trees of the forests for wood and perfumes like sandalwood. There are also people who do illegal making of rocks from the forest mountains . This is called quarrying. They use dynamites to blast the mountains to get rocks. This badly damages the forests and its life.
F. Protection Did you know?
Tropical rainforests of the world is the home for half of the wild animals and plants on earth. Protecting them is extremely important for keeping the life on earth safe.
A board placed by Kerala Forest Department
The rain forests of Kerala are protected by forest guards and also police. They catch and punish people doing illegal activities like poaching, stealing trees or quarrying mountains. Also if someone tries to harm or steal any animal or plant of our forests they are punished.
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