Tamil Nadu’s initial biodiversity heritage website Arittapatti requires your awareness

As 2022 was coming to an end, we resolved to visit Arittapatti, which features of remaining Tamil Nadu’s to start with biodiversity heritage web page (BHS). Recognized as a put of ecological and historical significance, Arittapatti village in Madurai’s Melur block has all-around 250 species of birds, like three critical raptors—the laggar falcon, the shaheen falcon, and Bonelli’s eagle. The slender loris, the rock python, the monitor lizard, and the endangered Indian pangolin also are also observed there.

As we entered the village wanting for the BHS, which was notified in November 2022 beneath the Organic Variety Act, 2002, a village elder guided us to a close by hillock growing out of the rolling green plains. We built our way earlier the historic Anaikondan lake (built all through the reign of the Pandyan kings in the 16th century), the place we struck up a dialogue with Balasubramanian (75), who was using a dip in the waters. Balasubramanian belongs to the Idaiyar group, which inhabits the Arittapatti spot. The Idaiyars are pastoralists who settled across grasslands and forests of historic Tamil state. They traditionally increase cattle, buffalo, and sheep.

Balasubramanian and his loved ones have been praying for over 5 generations at the rock-cut Siva temple of Arittapatti referred to as Kudaivarai Koil, thought to have been produced in the 8th century.

The Kudaivarai temple is also named Idaichi  mandapam (Idaichi is the female sort of Idaiyar) immediately after the community. The hillock, which the Idaiyars simply call Kalinjamalai, has many  sunais (purely natural springs), from which Balasubramanian collects drinking water each individual working day for the rituals. As we walked with him, he explained how their life is intricately connected with the hillock.

Sizeable Site

The sculpture of the Jain Tirthankara in the Arittapatti hills.
| Image Credit score: ASHOK R

There are about 72 lakes, three check out dams, and much more than 100  sunais in the Arittapatti area composed of seven hillocks—Kalinjamalai, Vayuthupullamalai, Ramayimalai, Aaputtanmalai, Kazhugumalai, Thaenkoodumalai, and Kodangimalai—which are an integral aspect of the local people’s life. Moreover web hosting a wide wide range of wildlife, the hillocks are also steeped in heritage, with the Kudaivarai Koil, rockbeds of Jain monks, and Tamil Brahmi inscriptions relationship again to 2nd century BCE uncovered in this article.

According to archaeologist V. Vedachalam, the previous name for these 7 hillocks is Thirupinnaiyanmalai, which is part of the  enperungundrangal or 8 big hillocks of Madurai district. A sculpture of a Jain Tirthankara in the Arittapatti hills has an inscription stating that Kalinjamalai was earlier called Thiruppinaiyanmalai when another inscription states that the village was named Paathirikudi. The village might have been an vital trade hub close to 700 years in the past.

The Organic Range Act, 2002, was enacted for the conservation of biodiversity, sustainable use of its parts, and truthful and equitable sharing of the positive aspects arising out of the use of organic resources and conventional understanding. A a few-tier construction composed of the Countrywide Biodiversity Authority, the Point out Biodiversity Board, and the Biodiversity Administration Committee implements this Act underneath which regional communities are assisted to maintain spots selected as BHSs. There are 36 BHSs in India. The 7 inselbergs of Arittapatti BHS alongside one another deal with an place of 193.21 hectares.

Supriya Sahu, Additional Main Secretary, Ecosystem, Climate Improve and Forests, Tamil Nadu, is quoted in an posting in  The Hindu as declaring: “A joint built-in administration system will be chalked out to protect Arittapatti and Meenakshipuram villages by the Archaeology and Forest Departments, between some others, together with the locals. Declaring areas exterior forests as a Biodiversity Heritage Website allows in defending a abundant and unique ecosystem easily obtainable to all.”

Mixed belief

When we talked to the nearby men and women, we obtained a sense that there is assistance as nicely as disgruntlement regarding the BHS tag. Veerammal (80), the panchayat president of Arittapatti, mentioned: “The Kalinjamalai hillock is an integral component of our daily life. 10 years in the past, the granite mafia experimented with to start off mining here but our village stood united in protest from it. The then Madurai District Collector, U. Sagayam, visited the spot and managed to help you save it. Given that then we have been trying to get safeguarded position for the hillock, and we have acquired it now. I consider that the BHS standing will save the hill from mining.”

Herding her goats on the hills, 60-a thing Nachiammal (identify transformed) reported, “This hillock quenches our thirst, so we are not able to allow for mining here.”
| Photo Credit history: Bharathidhasan

But there are fears amongst the community pastoral communities that the authorities may quit them from utilizing the land for pursuits like grazing, fishing, and herb and honey assortment, which they have been undertaking for generations. Herding her goats on the hills, 60-something Nachiammal (name improved) said: “This hillock quenches our thirst, so we can’t make it possible for mining listed here. We thank the authorities for shielding it. On the other hand, we really should be continued to be authorized to graze our livestock.”

There are other considerations involved with the BHS tag. A farmer who cultivates paddy in Konar  thopu (grove) situated just down below the Arittapatti hillock stated: “Earlier we utilised to cultivate 3 crops but now only a person is feasible mainly because of monkeys that commonly raid our crops, ensuing in massive losses for us. The monkeys need to be captured and released in the Alagar hills [a reserved forest in Dindigul division where monkeys are found in abundance].”

One more farmer who cultivates greens had a comparable grievance from peafowls, which, according to him, have amplified in variety in modern situations. The farmers fear that the BHS tag will deliver a lot more defense to the wild animals, impacting agriculture. Nachiammal, who has been collecting  narantham pul (lemongrass) and  kanjaran kodi (a climber) from the hills for yrs, stated that she experienced stopped executing so at any time since Arittapatti was declared a BHS.

What wants to be completed?

Along with Arittapatti, Vagaikulam wetland, a perfectly-regarded heronry in Tenkasi district, was also proposed as a BHS. But the local local community strongly opposed the proposal for the duration of the community hearing. They considered that the declaration would impact their current rights. Not only the neighborhood but also the General public Is effective Division, which maintains the wetland, refused to situation a no-objection certificate to the proposed BHS on the grounds that it would give additional electricity to the Forest Office in running the lake.

Shekhar Kumar Niraj, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Secretary to Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Board (TNBB), visited Vagaikulam and had a dialogue with the stakeholders where by he discussed that the Forest Department would not put any limitations on the BHS, which are taken care of by Biodiversity Management Committees consisting of customers nominated by the panchayats involved.

“When we talked to the regional persons, we obtained a feeling that there is assist as perfectly as disgruntlement concerning the BHS tag.”

The TNBB need to make the next points obvious:

* The generation of a BHS does not place any restriction on the prevailing methods and usages of regional communities.

* The creation of a BHS does not have an affect on current land ownership.

* Local communities play an critical function in the administration of BHSs.

The TNBB had not framed the rules for utilizing the Biological Variety Act right until 2017. The governing administration should really be proactive in making consciousness amongst people today and line departments ahead of declaring an space as BHS. The myth of “no access”, which tends to make local folks cautious of conservation tags, wants to be dispelled so that communities cooperate with the govt in preserving ecologically and historically sensitive zones.

M. Mathivanan is a senior investigate associate and coordinator at Agasthyamalai Neighborhood Conservation Centre, Manimutharu, Tirunelveli district, of Ashoka Belief for Investigation in Ecology and the Atmosphere (ATREE). T. Ganesh is a senior fellow and faculty at ATREE, Bengaluru.