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Time of India
28-07-2025
- General
- Time of India
When protecting a species means preserving a complex ecosystem
Forest dwellers across India's Western Ghats worship the tiger in various forms. In a sub-tropical country like India, where the tiger is the apex predator, it is likely that tigers became objects of worship because past generations recognised the need to conserve this big cat for its role in the ecosystem. As the top predator, tigers play a crucial role in controlling herbivore populations, thereby maintaining the balance of flora and fauna in the forest. Ecologists have long emphasised that tiger reserves not only protect the big cats but also maintain ecosystem equilibrium, balance other animal populations, and help preserve forests and their water sources. In Goa, the proposed tiger reserve area serves as the catchment basin for the Mandovi, Zuari, Talpona, and Galgibaga rivers, in addition to several streams. 'It is essential to take every possible measure for the conservation of the tiger, the most majestic animal of the Indian wilderness. As the apex predator in the food chain, the extinction of the tiger will inevitably impact all other components of the ecosystem. The forest provides shelter to the tiger, and in return, the tiger protects the forest — in essence, it safeguards the biodiversity within it,' said naturalist Ramesh Zarmekar. A tiger spotted in Tillari valley forest in Maharashtra's Dodamarg corridor which opens into the Mhadei sanctuary forests in Goa The proposed tiger reserve area in Goa comprises semi-evergreen dense forests with steep slopes. The region is a mosaic of woodlands and grasslands and is already known to be a habitat for leopards, Indian Gaur or bison, sloth bears, barking deer, chital, wild dogs, king cobras, and other mammals and reptiles, besides tigers. 'If all coordinates living with the tiger are protected, only then will the ecology be protected. Once you make a tiger reserve, central govt gives more funds for its protection and this will help in protection of the entire 757sq km all Goa's protected areas,' said former range forest officer Prakash Salelkar. According to the Karapurkar Committee appointed by Goa govt, all the proposed tiger reserve areas are among the richest reservoirs of biodiversity in the world. The forest areas are part of regions identified as the second best in India and the eighth best in the world as the finest tiger habitats. More recently, the role of tiger landscapes to mitigate climate change has also been identified. 'They store more carbon than any other forest type,' said a forest official.
Time of India
13-06-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Tambdi Surla records presence of endemic moth orchid flowers
Keri: In the jungle of Tambdi Surla, wildlife researchers have recorded the presence of an endemic species of moth orchid. Ramesh Zarmekar, a wildlifer working in the region, sighted the flowering of Phalaenopsis – deliciosa, locally known as the moth orchid. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now During a survey of the Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary in 2009, researchers collected this epiphytic species of the endemic orchid. In 2015, three researchers, Chhaburao Jadhav, Jeewan Singh Jalal and J Jayanthi, published the paper in the International Richardiana journal of orchids, highlighting the fact that it is the first report of the species in Goa, which extends its distribution further north in the Western Ghats. The majority of species are characterised by rather short, drooping inflorescences which display star-shaped, waxy flowers fairly close to the plant foliage. After researchers recorded its presence in Cotigao, Canacona, we found the presence of the moth orchid in Tambdi Surla. "This is the second record from Goa,' Ramesh Zarmekar told TOI.
