NDC calls on government to reconsider decision to allow felling of rosewood trees in patta lands

The Nilgiri Documentation Center (NDC) has called on the Tamil Nadu government to immediately reconsider the Forest Department’s decision to not renew the Tamil Nadu Rosewood Trees (Conservation) Act.

The NDC said the “decision not only goes against all norms of conservation,” but could be a major embarrassment to the government in the coming elections. The withdrawal of the act would allow for the felling of trees from private patta lands, with ecologists voicing their concerns that trees that are located within reserve forests too will be more prone to being targeted by illegal timber smugglers.

“The 1995 legislation enacted by the then Chief Minister Jayalalithaa was a first of its kind in the country to protect the rosewood tree. It was enacted in response to a widespread call led by the Save Nilgiris Campaign to stop the rampant illegal felling of the endangered native species of the State. The prompt action of the Chief Minister was hailed as a forerunner to conserve such trees in the other states coming under the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve,” said Venugopal Dharmalingam, honorary director of the NDC in a statement.

“At a time when conservation of native trees are given the highest priority by the governments and the courts, a decision of this nature should have been taken at the level of the Chief Minister. The dubious reasons given by the Forest Department to annul the act betrays a sense of insensitivity by the officials. Native trees like the rosewood cannot be grown anywhere or so easily. Withdrawing the act will be a clear licence for the illegal felling of the last of the ancient trees which are listed under the red book of the International Union of Conservation of Nature,” he added.

He said rosewood trees, Dalbergia latifolia, listed as a “vulnerable” species in the IUCN Red list, were found in the Nilgiris region of Tamil Nadu and the Western Ghats, particularly in areas like Anamalais, Mudumalai, and Gudalur. “These trees are known for their high-quality timber and are a significant part of the Nilgiri Biosphere. A rosewood tree, estimated to be 200 years old, located in the Anamalai Tiger Reserve was declared a Heritage Tree of Tamil Nadu by the State Biodiversity Board in 2017,” he noted, adding that the species holds special significance to the Badaga community.