Category Archives: Nilgiri Biosphere

“Despite the restitution of community rights under the Forest Rights Act of 2006, the Adivasis are not able to supplement their diet with resources gathered from the forest as they did before.” – Priti David in “In the Nilgiris, an inheritance of malnutrition” ( People’s Archive of Rural India, 1 May 2020)
https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/in-the-nilgiris-an-inheritance-of-malnutrition/
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=30029

“In the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve non-timber forest products (NTFPs) have helped to sustain the lives and cultures of indigenous communities for centuries. The Reserve hosts several tribes such as the Todas, the Paniyas, the Irulas, the Kurumbas, the Kuruchiyans, the Mullukurumbas, the Adiyans and the Alyars [Alar]. The Chola Naikans in the New Amarambalam area are the only surviving hunter- gatherers in the Indian subcontinent. One of the most popular NTFPs among these indigenous groups is honey, which is gathered from the wild and has been a major source of income for more than 500 groups of Kurumbas, Irulas, and other tribes. Overextraction of a marketable forest product can result in depletion of the resource and ecosystem deterioration.” – Julian Gonsalves (Main author) in “Rich Forests: Making a living under the canopy” (Both ENDS Amsterdam, 2015), p. 51
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=20362

“The Toda tribals have their own language, which does not have a script. Over the last century, their numbers have been dwindling. The sharp decline in their population is largely related to the decline in agriculture land, much of which has been lost of afforestation. With their dwindling numbers, their art, craft and traditions are facing a slow death. If not preserved, the day is not far when their unique embroidery, for instance, is lost forever. The Todas are an extremely closed community, barely connected to the rest of the world and, thus, deprived of the opportunities connectivity offers.” – Osama Manzar in “Preserving our vanishing tribes, their heritage, language and wisdom” (Livemint, 8 September 2017)
https://www.livemint.com/Opinion/AhrviHfdlAluJ6ffBBpUQN/Preserving-our-vanishing-tribes-their-heritage-language-an.html
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=3203

“It is a matter of grave concern that 18 human deaths were reported in a year in the Nilgiris due to man-animal conflict [date accessed: 2017]. The situation should be thoroughly analysed. Most of the tribal communities live inside forest areas. But they don’t seem to fall prey to animals as they know how to live in harmony in the wild. It is the people who live in the fringe areas who fall prey due to lack of awareness.” – Commentary “Land use pattern need to be changed to resolve man-animal conflicts” (Times of India, 5 March 2017)
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/coimbatore/land-use-pattern-need-to-be-changed-to-resolve-man-animal-conflicts/articleshow/57471535.cms
https://indiantribalheritage.org/?p=22634