The Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI) here has launched a project for the restoration and conservation of Myristica swamps, a vanishing ecosystem that could yield precious information about evolutionary biology and climate change.
The institute has begun work on a swamp conservatory under a project funded by the Union Department of Biotechnology.
Myristica swamps are characterised by tropical freshwater swamp forests with an abundance of Myristicaceae trees, one of the most primitive of the flowering plants on earth.
The evergreen, water-tolerant trees have dense stilt roots helping them stay erect in the thick, black, wet alluvial soil.
The swamps also provide habitat for a rich diversity of invertebrate and vertebrate species, including amphibians, reptiles, and mammals.
Scientists believe that the swamps could promote better understanding of the influence of climate change on the evolution of plants. They are considered to be living museums of ancient life.
“Owing to their water holding capacity round the year, Myristica swamps act as a sponge, helping to sustain water in the streams and groundwater sources,” says R.Prakash Kumar, Director, JNTBGRI.
Scientists concur that the delicate and fragmented Myristica swamp ecosystem is facing multiple threats and need urgent conservation.
Endangered ecosystems
“The fragile, primeval forests are considered among the most endangered ecosystems in India,” says Dr.Kumar. “The higher biomass and carbon sequestration potential of the swamps call for revised forest management policies.”
In Kerala, Myristica swamps are now largely confined to a few patches in the forested valleys of the Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary and Kulathupuzha in the southern Western Ghats.
Mohammed Aslam, Advisor, Department of Biotechnology, inaugurated the conservation project on the JNTBGRI campus by planting a tree. Dr.Kumar was among those present on the occasion.
