Source: DTE
Context: Pampadum Shola National Park in Kerala has become a model of ecological restoration, successfully reversing decades of environmental damage by removing invasive Australian wattle trees — reviving native grasslands.
About Pampadum Shola National Park:
- What it is?
- Pampadum Shola is the smallest national park in Kerala, spanning about 1,300 hectares, and forms part of the high-altitude shola–grassland ecosystem of the southern Western Ghats — a UNESCO World Heritage site under consideration.
- Located in: Situated in the upper Devikulam taluk of Idukki district, on the Kerala–Tamil Nadu border near Kodaikanal.
- Features:
- Elevation ranges between 1,900 and 2,300 metres, forming the southernmost shola–grassland mosaic in the Western Ghats.
- Serves as the watershed of the Pambar and Vaigai rivers, crucial for Tamil Nadu’s plains.
- Rich biodiversity: home to Nilgiri marten, Kerala laughing thrush, black-and-orange flycatcher, and endemic orchids and ferns.
- The grasslands act as natural aquifers, storing monsoon rain and ensuring year-round stream flow.
- Restoration efforts between 2020–2024 cleared over 475 hectares of invasive wattle, reviving native species and hydrology.
About Australian Wattles (Acacia mearnsii):
- What it is?
- The black wattle (Acacia mearnsii) is a fast-growing, nitrogen-fixing tree native to southeastern Australia, introduced worldwide for tannin extraction, fuelwood, and afforestation.
- Origin in India: Introduced by the British in the early 1900s, wattle plantations expanded in the Western Ghats through the 1960s–70s as part of “green cover” drives, replacing native grasslands with monocultures.
- Implications:
- Ecological: Wattle forms dense canopies that block sunlight, suppress native flora, and reduce soil porosity, leading to declining groundwater and biodiversity loss.
- Hydrological: Its deep roots deplete aquifers and convert perennial streams into seasonal flows.
- Fire hazard: Highly flammable species that increase wildfire intensity, as seen in the 2015 Pampadum fire.
