Study finds Western Ghats forest swamps as microclimatic refuge and suggests measures to conserve them

Shivamogga

A recent study by researchers at Kuvempu University found that freshwater swamp forests in the Western Ghats stay cooler and moister than their surroundings, sheltering species from getting warm. The authors want policymakers to make the conservation of these swamps a priority.

The study was carried out by the Department of Environmental Science under the guidance of K. Yogendra as part of the research of Balachandra Hegde, a native of Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district.

Four habitat types

The researchers compared four habitat types around Sirsi in the Central Western Ghats: hilltops, forest edges, forest interiors, and swamps. In addition to temperatures, they measured soil moisture, forest structure, species composition, and the water status of trees.

“Average weather parameters are usually derived from satellite data. However, temperatures vary with habitat within a landscape, and in the Western Ghats, conditions change over short distances,” said Prof. Yogendra.

Temperature difference

The study found that forests and swamps had greater tree density and canopy cover than hilltops and forest edges. In some comparisons, satellite-derived land-surface temperatures differed from sensor readings inside forests by roughly 3°C to 10°C. “This gap varies depending on location, time, and method of measurement. Hence, the temperatures felt by organisms beneath the canopy may be different from that recorded outside,” the study noted.

Habitats that retain conditions suitable for some species even as the surrounding landscape warms can function as a microclimatic refuge, the researchers said, and swamp forests are among them. “Conserving swamp forests, therefore, means protecting not only rare species but also the water and microclimate that sustain them,” stated a note by the researchers.

The team argued that microclimatic information should become an integral component of conservation and management policies in the Western Ghats. The study called for the priority protection of Myristica and Elaeocarpus swamps and for a long-term ecological monitoring network, with sensors to record air temperature, soil moisture, rainfall, and canopy characteristics.

Measuring success

The researchers also want a rethink of how conservation success is measured. “Forest management should extend beyond conventional measures such as the number of saplings planted and the extent of tree cover. It should include natural regeneration, species persistence, biodiversity conservation, and favourable microclimatic conditions,” the researchers noted.