ERAVIKULAM NATIONAL PARK - ENVIRONMENT
News: In
a first, Eravikulam National Park gets a fernarium
What's in the news?
● Eravikulam
National Park (ENP), the natural habitat
of Nilgiri tahr in Munnar, has a new attraction - a Fernarium set up inside
the park. According to officials, this is the first time such a fern collection
has been established in the hill station.
Key takeaways:
● The
new initiative aims to increase awareness among visitors about the park’s
biodiversity.
Ferns:
● Ferns
are part of the Epiphytic family.
● Ferns
are non-flowering pteridophytes.
● They
generally reproduce by producing spores.
However, similar to flowering plants, ferns have roots, stems, and leaves.
● Ferns
are the first plant with a fully
developed vascular system.
● They
grow naturally in a soilless condition.
● The
plants obtain water and nutrients
through leaching from trees.
Significance of Ferns:
● Ferns
are important for the environment for their ornamental values.
● They
have medicinal and edible purposes.
● Furthermore,
the indicators of moisture, ferns,
also clean the ecosystem and are good nitrogen fixating agents.
● They
are also used to filter heavy metals
from polluted waters and are a bioindicator for the health of an ecosystem.
● Further,
ferns provide microhabitats, as well
as shelter and shade to small animals, and are a source of food or medicine for
animals, including people.
Eravikulam National Park:
● Location
- Kerala.
● Specific
features - 7000 ft. above sea level, is break-taking in the size and diversity
of flora and fauna.
● Eravikulam
National Park is home to the largest population of Nilgiri Tahr.
● It
is also called “Neelakurinji”, the
flower that blooms once in twelve years.
● The
park protects the Western Ghats biggest and least damaged length of unique
Montane Shola-Grassland vegetation.