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| Sunday, 30 March 2003 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Knuckles threatened by 'cardamom invasion' by Vimukthi Fernando
Aromatic, spicy, titillating the palate of many a Sri Lankan and a
foreigner. Tantalising too, are the dollars it draws at the world market.
Cardamom, a boon to some 'mudalalies' with influential backing, continues
to be the bane of the Knuckles massif due to its wanton cultivation. While preventive measures by the Forest Department and its Knuckles Conservation Project target 'small' cultivators in the border, large scale outside cultivations employing village hands to look after their crop, go unabated claim villagers in the periphery. Of the 25 villages surrounding the Knuckles Range, 10 are involved in cardamom cultivation. According to the Forest Department's latest research carried out in July 2002, out of an estimated 21,000 hectares of the Range 3,000 ha. are covered in cardamom. "So what?" one may ask. "Why should I be concerned about the Knuckles Massif? Well, it may not be as highlighted in the public eye as Sinharaja or the Horton Plains. But, the history of Knuckles as a Climatic Reserve stretches back to 1873. Considered a unique ecosystem not found anywhere in the world by environmentalists and scientists alike, Knuckles was declared a 'National Man and Biosphere Reserve' by the government in April, 2000. Rugged, with at least 35 peaks rising above 900 metres enhancing its beauty Knuckles is a landscape found nowhere else in Sri Lanka. Called the 'Mini Alps' its formation, "a series of abrupt peaks and gorges arising out of a tiered arrangement of plains and deep escarpment slopes from almost sea level 6250ft. (about 1,900 metres), scientists say, is the tropical parallel to Swiss Alps. The Knuckles Range is named after the five peaks which look like the knuckles of a clenched fist, that could be seen from the south of the range from West to South East Kirigalpottha 1642m (5403 ft), Gombaniya 1893m (6248) Knuckles 1852m (6122) Koboneelagala 1544m (5198) and Dotulugala 1564m (5161). Though this is its popular 19th century name given by the English, the villagers of yore called it 'Dumbara' range, meaning 'misty mountains' referring to its affiliation with mist.
The Knuckles Forest Range, a cradle for plant and animal life is an invaluable asset where biodiversity and watershed values are concerned. "With gigantic trees, vast shrub areas and a colourful array of bird and animal life, the Knuckles Range provides a microcosm of the entire variety of climatic conditions in the country, from extreme wet to nearly arid," notes a study in 1994, by Worldview-NORAD titled 'Gift of Nature to Sri Lanka'.As any other forest area Knuckles Range also depletes due to expanding populations encroaching the forest for agriculture and housing. Illegal chena cultivation, tree felling for timber and gem mining augment this destruction. But, the highest threat is from the 'cardamom' invasion. During a recent visit to the Knuckles Range organised by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) journalists witnessed the soil erosion in the higher elevations of Knuckles, which provide ideal conditions for cardamom cultivation. The correlation between cardamom and this lush green forest is ironic. Cardamom is an undergrowth which needs the shade of the forest canopy for its survival. However, the cultivation necessitates clearing of the shrubs and undergrowth which prevents the growth of saplings of the large canopy trees. Threatened by soil erosion and bereft of its nourishment, when the canopy trees die, the cardamom cultivation dies along with it unable to bear the heat and the rays of the sun. Far too many are the areas which have already turned into grassland due to the above cause. The threat of cardamom does not end there. The next step is the fuel wood for kilns used for its processing. Illegal felling of trees to supply fuelwood is another contributory factor for the destruction of Knuckles. "We have stopped growing cardamom in the forest. Though there were about 40 to 50 families engaged in the trade earlier, now it has come down to about 12 families. But, they also depend on crops planted some time ago. There are no new plantations since the awareness campaign. Our love for the forest is inherent. We know that our existence depends on the forest", says Gamini Abeyratne, a school teacher and a leading member of the Dumbara Surakinno Association (Conservation Association) of Meemure. Anura Dasanayake, the President of Dumbara Surakinno of Kaikawala agrees. "We have dismantled the kilns as well. Now, cultivation if ever, is done in home gardens and our private lands. And we are exploring the possibilities of other cash crops such as pepper. But, we cannot get enough cash from that crop." "Yes, there is no marketing mechanism to purchase pepper grown there. But, we purchase native plants grown in nurseries introduced. Other cottage-industries are also introduced to the villages through the Knuckles Conservation Project", say officials from the Forest Department. "Other environment friendly livelihoods such as nature tourism, are to be introduced as well," says Dr. Channa Bambaradeniya from IUCN.
But, the question is whether these would be able to substitute the income the villagers gain from cardamom cultivation, for unless they find a means of similar or increased gains they are not going to stop cardamom cultivation. And then, there's the question of 'large scale' cultivators. "There are mudalalis who own thousands of acres. They have their kilns within the forest itself and visit the cultivation by helicopter!" says D.M.U.G. Ranbanda a Justice of the Peace from Pusse-ela, explaining that the villagers are helpless for they gain their share of cash labouring in these cultivations. "The law is equal to everyone, be it of small or large scale", say relevant authorities from the Forest Department. The lease for 615 hectares issued in the late 1960s had expired a few years back and the department's last deadline of end February 2003, has already passed. "If they do not leave within this month, we will bring them to courts." Bringing the culprits to book, and saving this virgin forest from future environmental hazards is what all of us who care for the Knuckles Range want done. But, immediate steps need to be taken for it to become a reality. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka which has lost 50 per cent of its original 70 per cent forest cover within a century, is losing the left over 20 per cent of forest in large amounts day by day. **************** The watershed and bio-diversity values ... It certainly is an interesting gift of nature to the country for the rocky cliffs of Knuckles may carry the story of over two million years. It could be one place where early life itself evolved... The mystery of Knuckles goes back many a thousand years. So, is the history of its ancient villages. Meemure, lying in the foothills of Lakegala, boasts of a history dating back to the King Ravana era. Whatever, their origins may be, it is recorded that in the days of the Sinhala kings, the villages on the northern side, Meemure, Kaikawala and Galamuduna were significant settlements. The ancient road from Matale to Badulla, passed the Nitre Cave, another significant point in the Knuckles Range. And John Davy in his travel notes records how villagers were engaged in filtration, evaporation and crystallisation of potassium nitrate, for the King's stores. However, the importance of the Knuckles Massif to present day Sri Lanka, lies in many other factors.....
Primary is its watershed value. Ancient Sri Lankans aptly named this range as 'Dum-bara' or 'misty' mountains. Within seconds a clear hill top with a splendid view would be covered in thick fog. Rain is another permanent feature in the highland areas where the annual rainfall surpasses 5000 milli metres. And the result? Over 40 rivulets and streams fed the terraced farming systems of the ancient villages. Knuckles is the main water source of Mahaweli, the main water source of the Island for hydropower and for irrigated agriculture in the dry zone, with many tributaries including Hulu ganga, Heen ganga and Kalu ganga springing from the Range. Located in the intermediate climatic zone, in central Sri Lanka in the Kandy and Matale districts, the range experiences a wide spectrum of rainfall and temperature differences, with some areas having ground frost during January to March. Another factor is the exposure to strong winds (60 m.p.h.). All this has given Knuckles an array of natural vegetation types and a rich composition of animals and plants. The forest cover of Knuckles belongs to four major formations and a distinctive vegetation type known as a 'climatic climax'. The topical or lowland semi-evergreen forests at the lowlands or foothills. Between lowland forest and the montane rainforest, the topical mid-elevational evergreen forest. The dry sub-montane evergreen rain forest in the drier slopes of Knuckles from about 450 to 1060 meters. And upper montane rain-forest with its characteristic mosses, ferns and epiphytic orchids absorbing the moisture ever present in the atmosphere in the X covered highlands. Most unique to the range is its pygmy forest, or the "Koratuwa" vegetation as it is known locally. It is a closely tangled waist high mass, virtually impenetrable with stunted trees of about two to three feet in height. The uniqueness of this forest formation lies in the fact that at Knuckles, it is found in a relatively low altitude of 1519m (5000 ft.) and in patches of about 100 acres each. It is believed to be a product of exposure to continuous and severe gale force. Other vegetation types found at Knuckles include patanas and savannah grasslands. "A total of 1033 flowering plants belonging to 141 families have been recorded from the above vegetation types in Knuckles. Of the total number of flowering plant species documented in Knuckles, 160 (15 per cent) are endemic to Sri Lanka, while about 3 per cent are nationally threatened," records the World Conservation Union (IUCN) studies on Knuckles. Similarly, Knuckles holds a great variety of fauna. Most important is that it is home to many endangered and endemic species. About 230 vertebrate species have been recorded from this area of which 20 percent are endemic to Sri Lanka, including 14 bird and nine fish species. Five of these endemic species, three freshwater fish (Phillip's gara - Garra phillipsi, Martenstyne's barb - Puntius martenstyni, Blotchedfilamented barb - Puntius srilankensis) one amphibian (Marbled cliff frog - Nannophrys marmorata) and one lizard (Tennent's horned lizard - Ceretophora tennenti) are restricted to the Knuckles Forest Range. Furthermore, 25 per cent of the vertebrates found in the Knuckles range are nationally threatened. In addition a large number of species of reptiles, spiders, butterflies (over 70 species) and other insects have been recorded in the Knuckles Range. |
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