Pilot project in 20 acres; NBR to compete for UNESCO award The Coimbatore Circle of the Forest Department would soon embark on an ambitious plan to replace the exotic species in the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve (NBR) with Shola forests (one with tall fully grown trees) and grassland eco-system in a phased manner. Talking toThe Hindu, Conservator of Forests, Coimbatore Circle, V.T. Kandasamy said that NBR was another name for conservation initiatives and success stories. Coimbatore Circle has a substantial extent of NBR in its jurisdiction with 2,340 sq km of forests in Coimbatore, the Nilgiris North, the Nilgiris South and Gudalur divisions that have 38 ranges. To sustain the richness of the flora and fauna of the NBR, efforts were on to replace the exotic species, once meant for industrial use. The Conservator said that the exotic species to be replaced were Wattle, Lantana camara and Prosopis. Wattle was earlier largely used by pulpwood industries. Mr. Kandasamy said that the initiative, a pilot project, would begin at the Avalanche area of the Nilgiris forests. The officials were already on the job of preparing a list of places and exotic species to be replaced with Shola forest and grassland eco-system species. The aim of removing the exotic species was to improve the habitat. This would help in supporting the herbivore population which in turn would be a prey base for the carnivore population. The conventional and traditional Shola forests and grassland eco-systems would only encourage the movement of wildlife and hence the decision, he said. Estimate According to initial estimates, 12,000 hectares of forests in the NBR has exotic species and in the first phase, the authorities would begin the pilot project in 20 acres for replacing the exotic species. Mr. Kandasamy said that this step gained significance, especially when the NBR, the first bio-sphere reserve in India, was set to compete for the UNESCO award to mark the 40th year of the UN body's theme,