Forest Management in Tamil Nadu - A Historical Perspective Traced by: Dr.T.SEKAR, IFS (Retd) With Inputs from: V.Ganesan, IFS., V.Thirunavukarasu, IFS., N.Satheesh, IFS., C.H.Padma, IFS. Tamil Nadu Forest Department May 2015 Book Title : Forest Management in Tamil Nadu - A Historical Perspective © : Author Book Size : 23 x 15.5 cm Outer cover : 300 GSM Art Board Inner pages : 100 GSM Coated paper Binding : Stitching & Hard bound binding Printing : RR SCREENS G.R. Bhavan Building, 87, Royapettah High Road, Chennai- 600014. Ph : 044 - 4208 2368 No of Copies : 1000 INDEX No. Chapter Title Page No. Foreword i Message iii Preface vii 1. Tamil Nadu- Land of rich Biodiversity 1 2. Jungle administration in pre-British period 18 3. Eighteen decades of Timber Exploitation 23 4. Formation of Forest Department in Madras Presidency 42 5. Period of Jungle Conservancy Rules 45 6. Introduction of a Forest Organization in India 50 7. Fuel felling system and its impacts 55 8. Management of Sandal, the scented wood 72 9. Bamboo management 94 10. Management of Minor Forest Produce 107 11. History of Timber plantations in forest areas 117 12. 1880-1980: Era of exotics in the hills 132 13. Plantation crops management in forest areas 146 14. Cultivation of Cinchona and Pyrethrum in forest areas 160 15. Forest Reservations 166 16. Working Plan era 176 17. Early efforts in wildlife conservation 193 18. Grazing and Penning practices and their impacts 203 19. Ecosystem People of forests 216 20. Forest Panchayats 237 21. Participatory forest management 242 22. Impacts of State reorganization- Gains and Losses 255 23. Soil and Moisture conservation schemes and their impacts 257 24. Forestry in the Plan periods 268 25. Forest Corporations- Infusion of Corporate culture in plantation crops management 278 26. Timber plantations outside forests 286 27. Farm, Extension and Social Forestry 292 28. Diversion of forest lands and its impacts 309 29. Milestones in faunal conservation 321 30. Landscape management- Newer approach in wildlife conservation 338 31. Pilgrimage inside forests- Impacts of tourism visitation 351 32. Ex situ conservation of wildlife 365 33. Wildlife conservation challenges of the new millennium 378 34. Human Capital in Tamil Nadu forest administration 395 35. Training of foresters 406 36. Frontiers in Forestry Research 419 37. Conservation issues for the new millennium 440 References I Abbreviations VI Acknowledgements VIII a INDEX OF BOXES No. Box Title Page No. 1.1 Flora of Anamalais-Fischer’s contribution to it 2 1.2 Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve 9 1.3 Nigiri Biosphere Reserve 16 3.1 Top Slip- Why its name? 30 7.1 Fuel supply for Madras 64 7.2. Ban on Kumri system 66 7.3 Kumri cultivation 67 8.1 Sultan Road- The March Route 73 8.2 Veerappan-The Name to remember 84 11.1 Hugo Wood’s grave- A memorial for the master planter 124 12.1 Aramby Shola Permanent Preservation Plot 134 12.2 Eucalyptus grandis plantation at Naduvattam- In the memory of J.Wilson 140 13.1 Legends about tea 146 17.1 The Madras Wild Elephants Preservation Act 1873 198 18.1 Scrub cattle of Sigur Plateau- The Dung Machines 213 26.1 Origin of canal bank teak plantations by V.S.Krishnaswamy IFS., a visionary 287 30.1 What does a Biosphere Reserve represent? 339 b Dr. S.John Joseph., IFS., Chennai-101 Former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and 25-02-2015 Chairman, Society for Social Forestry Research and Development, Tamil Nadu. FOREWORD Pioneering efforts in Forest Conservation and scientific management of forests can be traced back to Hugh Cleghorn who was appointed as the first Conservator of Forests of Madras Presidency in1856. The forests were treated by Britishers as Government property to exercise total control over it for exploitation, mainly its timber wealth to meet the rapacious demands of British Admiralty for ship and boat building, construction of its military barracks and the railway sleepers. Having depleted the timber (Oak) resources of England, they turned towards Burma and India as they found the forest species of these countries ideally suited to cater to their needs and Bombay dockyard. The net result is that these forests were also exploited and depleted. Seeing this distressing depletion of forests, the then Viceroy inducted the services of a German forester. This was due to the fact that the forest management practices were at its best then in Germany. It was for this reason Dr. Dietrich Brandis was appointed as the first Inspector General of the India's Forests. With his knowledge, acumen and vision, Brandis gave a complete turnaround to forest management in India. He chose Madras Presidency as there was already some semblance of management then. He toured the Madras Presidency forests almost for a year during 1881-1882 and drafted the Madras Forest Act of 1882. Dr. Brandis was, in fact, the architect of a well structured forest department in various Presidencies including Madras. Commencing from the formation of Forest department, many developments had happened in the forest management of the Madras Presidency in distinct phases, each one of which had its implications for the sector. Management in the British era and what followed after independence in the three different periods and the results of management were the outcomes of vision and hard work of very many illustrious foresters of the relevant times. A dedicated handpicked team of four officers under Dr. T. Sekar, IFS., Principal Chief Conservator of Forests was commissioned to chronicle this monumental treatise on forest management, which has been captured in 37 chapters covering different periods from Moghul days under the caption 'Forest Management in Tamil Nadu - A Historical Perspective'. Such a daunting research work covering more than two hundred years of forest management was taken up under the intrepid leadership of Dr.T.Sekar and completed successfully. I place my appreciation on record for this outstanding effort and contribution which will be a standing monument in the annals of Forestry Sector. The task has been i planned and carried out well with a systematic matrix approach, slotting the various functions and activities to the appropriate time frame in the management history. The book runs to more than four hundred pages with informative images, photographs and maps and provides an interesting reading. I congratulate the team, especially Dr.T.Sekar for undertaking this onerous responsibility of chronicling facts and events over centuries, which provides a very readable and interesting account of forest management of yester years. I am sure the book will enthuse the readers including the forestry professionals, naturalists and others who are concerned with forest and wildlife conservation. ii Vinod Kumar, IFS., Hans Raj Verma, IAS., Dr. V.K. Melkani, IFS., PCCF and HoFF, Principal Secretary to Government, PCCF & CWLW, Panagal Maaligai, Environment and Forests Department, P anag al Maaligai, Chennai - 600015 Secretatiat, Chennai- 600 009. Chennai – 600015. 11-05-2015 MESSAGE Tamil Nadu boasts of a rich natural and cultural heritage. Forests as a Natural resource hold in its fold diverse floral and faunal assemblage. With the State’s natural land/seascape supporting three distinct biogeographic zones viz., the Western Ghats, the Eastern Ghats and the East Coastal plains, Tamil Nadu has the maximum number of forest types among the Southern States. The biodiversity richness is understandably the highest, with the State topping the nation in angiosperm diversity. The State was part of a much larger geographical province called the Madras Presidency that included part of the present day Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, Karnataka and Kerala. The princely States of Mysore, Travancore and Cochin were juxtaposed within the Presidency. In the historical time frame, the areas comprised of many small kingdoms that were ruled by kings and chieftains. As the resources were abundant and the peoples’ needs limited, pressure on bio-resources was less. During the reign of Muslim rulers, other than maintaining the forests as exclusive hunting preserves for the Royalty, there has been no significant evidence of forest management. Prior to the East India Company’s rule, sandal trees were reserved as royal trees and protected. First systematic attempt in exploiting the timber, mainly teak from the Presidency’s forests commenced in the first decade of 19th century with the appointment of Watson as the Conservator. Though the forest exploitation continued for half a century thereafter without a formal administrative arrangement, it was only in 1856 Forest Department was formed in the Presidency with appointment of Dr. Cleghorn as its Conservator of Forests. With Dr. Brandis, a trained forester, at the helm as India’s first Inspector General of Forests, formation of a forest organization in the Union and in all iii Presidencies was pursued in right earnest. Unabated harvest of timber trees, initial attempts in regeneration of felled areas, reservation of forests as Government property under the provisions of the Madras Forest Act, 1882 were the main developments in the second half of 19th century. The management principles followed by the British foresters were with a view to obtain maximum yield of forest produce and surplus forest revenue to the State. Commencement of scientific forestry received an impetus with the introduction of a system of preparation of comprehensive Working Plans for divisions in the early 20th century. The first National Forest Policy 1894 continued to be the basis for forest management in the Presidencies till the country’s independence. A bold attempt of placing nearly one sixth of the Madras Presidency’s forests with forest Panchayats in the 1920s proved disastrous with the above forests handed back to the Forest department around independence in a much depleted state. Forest management after independence broadly followed the lines of the 1952 National Policy.