CHENNAI: Twenty five years ago, jackals, palm civets, mongoose, turtles, reptiles, monitor lizards, sparrows and many species of pond fishes co-existed with the people of Chennai. Forget about co-existence, even spotting many of them has become rare. "Palm civets used to eat the coconuts in our home in T Nagar, and jackals were common sights from the Thiru Vi Ka bridge in Adyar 25 years ago,"" recalled K V Sudhakar, secretary Madras Naturalist Society.
"Even 15 years ago, turtles and snakes on the roads of Velachery during monsoons was common ," say forest and wild life experts. "Today, we are seeing a drastic reduction in the number of sea turtles returning to their nesting grounds, and an equal number of reduction in almost all species," said Dr Rajarathnam, director, Guindy Snake Park.
Native species falling off public sight is not a phenomenon common to Chennai. "Everyday between one and three species are lost worldwide, and only 60% of native plants and animals are still found in their native habitat," said Dr Kannan, education officer, forest department. "Rapid urbanisation and climate change are the major reasons for the change in bio diversity," added Rajarathnam. "There has been a 0.5 to one degree Celsius increase in the mean temperature over the last two decades and the 60 day rain cycle has got reduced to 20 day cycles with intense rain spells. Such variations impact the breeding cycles of many species," he added.
"Maintaining the native bio diversity is very critical for maintaining the integrity of the eco system," said Ranjit Daniels, ecologist and director, Care Earth. "Chennai is a fairly simple terrain of coastal and flood plains with many parts below the sea level. But many of the ponds and water bodies are gone and, with it, the water lily," added Daniel. The blue water lily was the feeding ground for jacana' birds (lily trotter) and many species of fishes including the Indian paradise nested below the leaves of the water lily.
"Sparrows have been driven out of their habitat since no one builds houses with tiled roofs anymore," pointed out Preston Ahimaz, naturalist, and former director, WWF, Tamil Nadu. "When pushed out of their habitats because of urbanisation, the species keep moving until they reach the farthest points of the city. The specialists have all left, and the species that are dependent on man are left, such as pigeons, crows and squirrels," added Ahimaz.
However, it is not a dismal picture on Biodiversity Day, pointed out experts. "It only calls for an urbanite to connect with nature," said Ahimaz. "Avoid concretising all open areas, use chain link fence wherever possible, make it mandatory for every house to have a patch of grass," he added. Sudhakar felt that the success stories of Pallikaranai marsh and the Adyar Poonga can be replicated in other suburbs as well. "Grey pelicans have begun to return to Pallikaranai and tree pies are winging back to our trees. Preservation is possible," said Sudhakar.
