Pampadum Shola National Park

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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.