Myristica swamp: the Mystique Forest

Cicadas raised an eerie orchestra into thick air stuffed with spicy aroma of humus, intermittently joined by croaking frogs, probably hiding somewhere in the bushes. A pile of elephant dung, partially decomposed, lie on the narrow road. Sun is lit just above in the sky, yet it is dark all around. 

Knee roots 

The forest patch is dense with trees having unique physiognomy. There are roots that bend and emerge out of the moist soil like knees of folded leg - knee roots help the roots to breathe. Water stands still in small pools, only to be disturbed by falling leaves or an occasional frog diving into it at the slightest noise. Shallow and narrow channels of water criss-cross the forest floor. The soil is reddish brown, water-logged. I am inside a Myristica fresh-water swamp forest at Sasthanada in Kulathupuzha Range of Thiruvananthapuram Forest Division. And everything in this rare ecosystem seems to be spry. The Sasthanada Myristica swamp forest is one among the sixty odd patches of the unique forests in southern Kerala, edaphically characterised by water logged soil that supports an unique assemblage of vegetation dominated by the tree members of Myristicaceae family.

Stilt roots

The members of Myristicaceae family are known to be primitive and very often referred to as ‘living fossils’. Palaeobotanical evidences indicate that members of the Myristicaceae family thrived in the Western Ghats thousands of years back during Pleistocene Era, probably in similar swamps. However, these forests couldn’t stand the test of time and have now shrunk to small relic patches in the southern parts of  the magnificent Western Ghats, endowing the Ghats with higher ecological significance. The dominant tree species like Myristica fatua var magnifica and Gymnacranthera farquhariana are endemic to the southern Western Ghats and seen only in these small patches of swamp forest. Lagenandra ovata – a handsome shrub – is seen scattered all over the marshy forest floor. While the interior parts of swamp support luxurious growth of Myristicaceae members, the peripheries have favoured species that can flourish in marshy as well hard soils like Lophopetalum wightianum, Holigarna arnottiana, Xanthophyllum arnottianum and several others. The penetration of dry soil tree and shrub species into the core of swamp must raise the brows of any conservationist. Such intrusion of dry soil species might be attributed to changes in hydrological regime of the swamp forests. The swamp that never went dry now face dry spells for few months in a year discouraging the typical swamp species and favouring the dry land species. Such changes in hydrology of the area could just wipe away the relic Myristicaceae species from its already restricted distribution map, sooner or later. One has to be cautious while stepping through the swamps – a wrong foot ahead means getting entangled in the knee roots or stepping in to a puddle of clayey soil. An over-cautious visitor might be generous enough offering time for the leeches to climb his or her shoes for a juicy rich treat of warm human blood. As I bent down pulling out a couple of them from my ankle, the sight of scarlet red coloured cup-like fungus – probably Cookeina sp. on a dead fallen and decomposing branch on the forest floor was even a greater treat. 

Cup fungi (Cookeina sp.)

Globba sp.

Litter rich forest floor is a home to a myriad variety of saproxylic fungi, insects and other organisms that play the quintessential role of a perfect nutrient recycler in the ecosystem. As a couple of small frogs, disturbed by my intrusive presence leaped into the pool of water and disappeared, I recalled my herpetologist friend discussing about an endemic and rare frog species Mercurana myristicapalustris reported only from these swamps. Commonly known as the Myristica swamp tree frog, these elusive creatures descend from their high perches in tree canopy for the nuptial act, burrow their eggs under thick litter and disappear back into the mysterious canopy only to return back in next breeding season. I must admit my ignorance about the world of amphibians as I know very little about them. Most of our conservation efforts are aligned towards the charismatic large mammals like the Royal Bengal tiger, Asiatic elephants, Asiatic Lions among others. In pursuit of glamourous wildlife, very often the smaller and yet critical fauna and flora do not find a place in the radar of celebrated wildlife experts and so called ‘conservationists’. 

Sasthanada stream lined by Lagenandra ovata

Some efforts were made in 2015 to restore the population of wild nutmeg Myristica fatua var. magnifica in the Sasthanada swamp by Kerala Forest Research Institute by planting seedlings in the habitat. Blessed with fertile forest soil rich in organic matter and water round the year, human beings axed the Myristica swamps to pave way for agricultural land use predominantly areca nut and paddy. Unsustainable land use incessantly continues to be the worst threat for ecological security, by which a long scroll of ecosystems including the Myristica swamps have been persecuted. Infrastructure development like concrete culverts and road cutting through the middle of Sasthanada swamp forest alters the flow of water in the swamp thus becoming a driver of decimation through change in species composition of the swamps. 

Bauhinia phoenicia

Land use even in the surrounding areas interferes with the hydrological characteristics of these mysterious forests. Even as the last remaining Myristica swamps face multiple issues, the conundrum thrown open by climate change looms large threatening its survival. As it might take the entire humanity a copious quantum of time and efforts to untie the Gordian knot of climate change, I am just worried that these primitive relic patches of forest might just fade away only to find mention in ecological history records of the Western Ghats. In the best interest of all living beings, it is imperative to put in place fundamentally robust actions to save the Myristica swamps. Surveying followed by demarcation, mapping and securing the ecological and legal boundaries of the swamps and their surrounding forest vegetation is the most important action on the ground to initiate any ecosystem management in the swamps. 

Curcuma aurantiaca

Continuous monitoring of hydrological parameters and watershed management interventions should be ensured to sustain a healthy hydrogeological he
alth of the ecosystem. Restoration of degraded swamps and population augmentation of the Myristicaceae family members should go hand-in-hand on an intensive scale. Bringing more such habitats under the Protected Area Network facilitated by the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 or elevating their status of Biodiversity Heritage Sites under the Biological Diversity Act 2002 can all prove to be vital in providing legal support to conservation efforts. Most importantly, we need to spare these delicate ecological entities from the onslaught of destruction in the name of infrastructure development. The Sasthanada stream flows musically calm in summer and thunderously fervent in monsoon, reaching out to the Pu-aar rivulet ultimately draining into the Kulathupuzha river. Twilight, slowly descending on the hills, I walk back with a prayer to the Almighty…..let the mystique Myristica swamps survive for posterity!