The Periyar Inheritance

About this book

The Periyar Tiger Reserve is one of India's most inspirational wildlife success stories. Protected for more than a century by far-sighted people who saw the connection between the health of a large dam built across the Periyar River, and the forests that cloak its catchment area, this wildlife haven is now a shining example of the benefits that flow beyond boundaries when nature is allowed to manage itself, with minimal interference from humans. Declared a reserve forest in the late 19 century, a wildlife sanctuary in the 1930s and a Tiger Reserve in 1977, Periyar is a Land of Emerald Vistas, studded with exuberant colours and staggering species diversity. Productive grasslands, orchid-studded rainforests, moss-laden trees and dripping ferns provide food and shelter to insects, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals that together help maintain this valuable carbon sink in whose Canopy Great Hornbills, Lion-tailed Macaques, Nilgiri Langurs and giant squirrels can be seen with relative ease. This book highlights the value of this natural treasure and demands that our generation hands over the Periyar inheritance in pristine condition to our children - the rightful heirs to this unique wonderland.

Contents

Contents: 1. The Periyar Inheritance: Western Ghats wonderland. 2. Benefits beyond boundaries: the gift of life. 3. Looking back in time: a Periyar history. 4. Green gables: in praise of plants. 5. Seasons in the sun: an Avian rhapsody. 6. Creatures great and small: Periyar's maintenance engineers. 7. A walk on the wild side: trekking in Periyar. 8. A naturalist in Periyar: an aficionado remembers. 9. A day in Periyar: long, long ago... . 10. Protecting wildlife and people: the way forward. 11. Tourism as conservation: the Periyar experiment. 12. Periyar's changing paradigm: a researcher's point of view. 13. Defending paradise: an inside story. 14. Securing the future: Protecting the Periyar inheritance. 15. Voices. 16. Periyar's checklists: birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians. 17. Faces behind the book: photographers and writers. 18. Glossary and bibliography. Acknowledgements. Index.

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