Wildlife Week: ITREK plants native saplings at Ponmudi

ITREK, a collective involved in promoting responsible trekking, environmental conservation and welfare of the forest-dependent communities, planted tree saplings at Ponmudi as part of the National Wildlife Week celebrations on Saturday. Thirty native tree saplings were planted near the existing shola forest close to the cafeteria at Ponmudi as part of the initiative undertaken with the support of the Forest department and Ponmudi Ecotourism.

The species selected for planting were based on their ecological suitability to the Ponmudi ecosystem. Experts from the Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), Palode, and the Forest department, were consulted to identify appropriate native species. The saplings represented four tree species native to the Western Ghats and naturally associated with the region, viz., Vateria indica, commonly known as the Indian Copal Tree or White Dammar; Cullenia exarillata, or Wild Durian/Indian Wild Durian; Syzygium mundagam, commonly known as Mundagam/Mundagam Syzygium; and Syzygium stocksii, known as Stocks’ Syzygium.

Among these, Cullenia exarillata is a major canopy tree of the evergreen forests of the Western Ghats and an important food and habitat-supporting tree for the lion-tailed macaque, an endangered primate endemic to the Western Ghats. As part of the programme, ITREK members also conducted a plastic clean-up drive, during which they removed plastic waste from the surrounding natural environment. Nearly 25 ITREK members, led by founder Suresh Sam Chandy, participated in the programme.