Mongabay.com Open Access Journal - Tropical Conservation Science Vol.6 (4):468-476, 2013
Opinion Article
The Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve: an
unrealized vision for conservation
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud1 and Priya Davidar2
1
ECOS, 9A Frederic Ozanam Street, Colas Nagar, Puducherry 605001. India
E-mail: .
2
Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University, Kalapet 605014, India.
E-mails: , .
Abstract
The Man and Biosphere Program of UNESCO (MAB) was a pioneer in recognizing the role of local communities in the
conservation of biodiversity. Biosphere reserves of MAB were designed with a core zone with maximum protection, a
buffer zone with regulated activities, and a transition zone outside the reserve proper. The transition zone is where
experimental management options to promote sustainable development could be developed, and could add value to
the conservation network and to regional activities. The Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve (NBR), with a core zone of 1,240
km2 and a buffer zone of 4,280 km2, was created in 1986 without a transition zone. The absence of a transition zone
separates the protected areas (PAs) from each other, and the hard boundary between the PA and surrounding areas
promotes human-wildlife conflict and encourages development inimical to the mandate of the Biosphere Reserve,
ultimately affecting the regional economy through progressive degradation of the environment. We examine three
case studies to illustrate these concerns: the implementation of the India-based Neutrino Observatory, resistance by
tourist resorts against regulations for connecting elephant corridors, and whether the goals of local tourism operators
meet the conservation objectives of the NBR. Landscape ecology and econometry can help design a transition zone
on a sound economic basis. A better environment management is within technical and financial reach. But is it within
political reach?
Keywords: India, conservation, Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, Man and Biosphere, sustainable development
Received: 1 April 2012; Accepted: 12 June 2013; Published: 30 September 2013.
Copyright: Jean-Philippe Puyravaud and Priya Davidar. This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ - The license permits any user to download, print out, extract, archive, and
distribute the article, so long as appropriate credit is given to the authors and source of the work. The license ensures that the
published article will be as widely available as possible and that the article can be included in any scientific archive. Open Access
authors retain the copyrights of their papers. Open access is a property of individual works, not necessarily journals or publishers.
Cite this paper as: Puyravaud, J. and Davidar, P. 2013. The Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve: an unrealized vision for conservation. Tropical
Conservation Science. Vol. 6(4):468-476. Available online: www.tropicalconservationscience.org
Tropical Conservation Science | ISSN 1940-0829 | Tropicalconservationscience.org
468
, Mongabay.com Open Access Journal - Tropical Conservation Science Vol.6 (4):468-476, 2013
Introduction
Protected areas (Pas) are critical for achieving Millennium Development goals that include sustainable
development [1]. The Convention on Biodiversity has set the target of protecting at least 10% of the
world’s ecological regions [2] to preserve biodiversity as well as to conserve the many services natural
ecosystems provide. The Man and Biosphere Program of UNESCO (MAB) was a pioneer in acknowledging
the role of local populations in the conservation of biodiversity within reserves. According to UNESCO [3]
biosphere reserves are “places that seek to reconcile conservation of biological and cultural diversity and
economic and social development through partnerships between people and nature, they are ideal to test
and demonstrate innovative approaches to sustainable development from local to international scales.”
Biosphere reserves attempt to promote three interconnected functions: conservation, development and
logistic support to achieve these goals. The role of local populations is paramount in integrating
conservation objectives within a socioeconomic setup, and conflict resolution is one of the pillars of the
approach. UNESCO [3] insisted on (i) focusing on a multi-stakeholder approach with emphasis on the
involvement of local communities in management, (ii) fostering dialogue for conflict resolution of natural
resource use and (iii) integrating cultural and biological diversity, especially the role of traditional
knowledge in ecosystem management. There are currently 610 biosphere reserves in 117 countries,
including 12 trans boundary sites. The biosphere reserves are a major international collaborative effort to
maintain ecosystems and their component species worldwide.
While countries can maintain flexibility at the national level regarding the definition of zones, the zoning
needs to ensure a combination of conservation, sustainable use of resources, knowledge generation, and
collaborative management. The zoning of each biosphere reserve should include: (i) core area(s), (ii)
buffer zone(s) and (iii) a transition area. A core area is securely protected to conserve biological diversity,
monitor minimally disturbed ecosystems, and undertake non-destructive research and other low-impact
uses (such as education). A buffer zone usually surrounds or adjoins the core area, and is used for
cooperative activities compatible with sound ecological practices, including environmental education,
recreation, ecotourism, and applied and basic research. The transition area may contain a variety of
agricultural activities, settlements and other uses, where local communities, management agencies,
scientists, non-governmental organizations, cultural groups, economic interests and other stakeholders
work together to manage and sustainably develop the area's resources. More details can be found in
UNESCO 2012 [3].
The Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve (NBR) is located in the southern part of the Western Ghats – Sri Lanka
biodiversity hotspot and connects the Western Ghats to the Eastern Ghats. The Eastern Ghats, an erosion
escarpment, is a north-south route of passage for Indo-Chinese and Malayan elements from Assam to the
extremity of the Peninsula [4]. The NBR thus forms a unique node between two biogeographic corridors
that have shaped the biodiversity patterns of the subcontinent. The NBR’s topographic and climatic
diversity has created a large number of ecological conditions and varied ecosystems from lowland
evergreen rainforest to scrub jungles, montane rainforest, high elevation grasslands and wetlands [5].
In addition to the exceptional landscape diversity, the NBR has a large number of species endemic to the
Western Ghats, such as ca 150 angiosperms (out of 4,000 plant species in the NBR) and 150 endemic
vertebrates out of 700 species (see [6] for details). The populations of emblematic species such as the
Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris), are among the largest in the
world [7-8].
Tropical Conservation Science | ISSN 1940-0829 | Tropicalconservationscience.org
469
Opinion Article
The Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve: an
unrealized vision for conservation
Jean-Philippe Puyravaud1 and Priya Davidar2
1
ECOS, 9A Frederic Ozanam Street, Colas Nagar, Puducherry 605001. India
E-mail: .
2
Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Pondicherry University, Kalapet 605014, India.
E-mails: , .
Abstract
The Man and Biosphere Program of UNESCO (MAB) was a pioneer in recognizing the role of local communities in the
conservation of biodiversity. Biosphere reserves of MAB were designed with a core zone with maximum protection, a
buffer zone with regulated activities, and a transition zone outside the reserve proper. The transition zone is where
experimental management options to promote sustainable development could be developed, and could add value to
the conservation network and to regional activities. The Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve (NBR), with a core zone of 1,240
km2 and a buffer zone of 4,280 km2, was created in 1986 without a transition zone. The absence of a transition zone
separates the protected areas (PAs) from each other, and the hard boundary between the PA and surrounding areas
promotes human-wildlife conflict and encourages development inimical to the mandate of the Biosphere Reserve,
ultimately affecting the regional economy through progressive degradation of the environment. We examine three
case studies to illustrate these concerns: the implementation of the India-based Neutrino Observatory, resistance by
tourist resorts against regulations for connecting elephant corridors, and whether the goals of local tourism operators
meet the conservation objectives of the NBR. Landscape ecology and econometry can help design a transition zone
on a sound economic basis. A better environment management is within technical and financial reach. But is it within
political reach?
Keywords: India, conservation, Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, Man and Biosphere, sustainable development
Received: 1 April 2012; Accepted: 12 June 2013; Published: 30 September 2013.
Copyright: Jean-Philippe Puyravaud and Priya Davidar. This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ - The license permits any user to download, print out, extract, archive, and
distribute the article, so long as appropriate credit is given to the authors and source of the work. The license ensures that the
published article will be as widely available as possible and that the article can be included in any scientific archive. Open Access
authors retain the copyrights of their papers. Open access is a property of individual works, not necessarily journals or publishers.
Cite this paper as: Puyravaud, J. and Davidar, P. 2013. The Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve: an unrealized vision for conservation. Tropical
Conservation Science. Vol. 6(4):468-476. Available online: www.tropicalconservationscience.org
Tropical Conservation Science | ISSN 1940-0829 | Tropicalconservationscience.org
468
, Mongabay.com Open Access Journal - Tropical Conservation Science Vol.6 (4):468-476, 2013
Introduction
Protected areas (Pas) are critical for achieving Millennium Development goals that include sustainable
development [1]. The Convention on Biodiversity has set the target of protecting at least 10% of the
world’s ecological regions [2] to preserve biodiversity as well as to conserve the many services natural
ecosystems provide. The Man and Biosphere Program of UNESCO (MAB) was a pioneer in acknowledging
the role of local populations in the conservation of biodiversity within reserves. According to UNESCO [3]
biosphere reserves are “places that seek to reconcile conservation of biological and cultural diversity and
economic and social development through partnerships between people and nature, they are ideal to test
and demonstrate innovative approaches to sustainable development from local to international scales.”
Biosphere reserves attempt to promote three interconnected functions: conservation, development and
logistic support to achieve these goals. The role of local populations is paramount in integrating
conservation objectives within a socioeconomic setup, and conflict resolution is one of the pillars of the
approach. UNESCO [3] insisted on (i) focusing on a multi-stakeholder approach with emphasis on the
involvement of local communities in management, (ii) fostering dialogue for conflict resolution of natural
resource use and (iii) integrating cultural and biological diversity, especially the role of traditional
knowledge in ecosystem management. There are currently 610 biosphere reserves in 117 countries,
including 12 trans boundary sites. The biosphere reserves are a major international collaborative effort to
maintain ecosystems and their component species worldwide.
While countries can maintain flexibility at the national level regarding the definition of zones, the zoning
needs to ensure a combination of conservation, sustainable use of resources, knowledge generation, and
collaborative management. The zoning of each biosphere reserve should include: (i) core area(s), (ii)
buffer zone(s) and (iii) a transition area. A core area is securely protected to conserve biological diversity,
monitor minimally disturbed ecosystems, and undertake non-destructive research and other low-impact
uses (such as education). A buffer zone usually surrounds or adjoins the core area, and is used for
cooperative activities compatible with sound ecological practices, including environmental education,
recreation, ecotourism, and applied and basic research. The transition area may contain a variety of
agricultural activities, settlements and other uses, where local communities, management agencies,
scientists, non-governmental organizations, cultural groups, economic interests and other stakeholders
work together to manage and sustainably develop the area's resources. More details can be found in
UNESCO 2012 [3].
The Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve (NBR) is located in the southern part of the Western Ghats – Sri Lanka
biodiversity hotspot and connects the Western Ghats to the Eastern Ghats. The Eastern Ghats, an erosion
escarpment, is a north-south route of passage for Indo-Chinese and Malayan elements from Assam to the
extremity of the Peninsula [4]. The NBR thus forms a unique node between two biogeographic corridors
that have shaped the biodiversity patterns of the subcontinent. The NBR’s topographic and climatic
diversity has created a large number of ecological conditions and varied ecosystems from lowland
evergreen rainforest to scrub jungles, montane rainforest, high elevation grasslands and wetlands [5].
In addition to the exceptional landscape diversity, the NBR has a large number of species endemic to the
Western Ghats, such as ca 150 angiosperms (out of 4,000 plant species in the NBR) and 150 endemic
vertebrates out of 700 species (see [6] for details). The populations of emblematic species such as the
Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) and the Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris), are among the largest in the
world [7-8].
Tropical Conservation Science | ISSN 1940-0829 | Tropicalconservationscience.org
469
