Members of the indigenous Toda community shared traditional knowledge about the Nilgiris’ rich biodiversity as well as the importance of grasslands and Shola ecosystems in an event jointly organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF-India) and the Forest Department.
The event was held as part of the Wildlife Week celebrations in the Nilgiris, and was held at the Panchayat Middle School in Marlimund. Elders from the Toda community, forest staff and representatives from WWF-India attended the event, where Tarun Chhabra, author of The Toda Landscape, was the chief guest.
“The idea is to laud the generational knowledge and cultural connection that the community has fostered and nurtured with the ecosystem, right from the trees, flowers and animals. Local communities are the frontline guardians of any ecosystem,” said S. Arunvenkatesh, coordinator, Water Stewardship, WWF-India, which has been actively engaged in an extensive study to facilitate restoration of the swamp ecosystem.
Dr. Chhabra said that the Toda community has a rich history replete with legends that praise nature. “Right from their rituals, worship and temples to the lifestyle, food habits and the traditional occupation of rearing buffaloes, everything is deeply rooted in the natural abundance of the Nilgiris,” he said.
