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Volume 4(5)

Shifting Leaves from Wet to Dry: A Short Story of Climate Change in the Western Ghat Mountains of South India

Rahul N R

Research Scholar

Centre for Budget Studies, CUSAT

The Western Ghats are a string of evergreen mountain ranges that extends from the Satpura range of Gujarat to the Nilgiris of Tamil Nadu. It lies along the western coast, facing the Arabian Sea. The Ghats are widely known for their steep slopes and deep valleys. The mountain ranges have unique, ecologically sensitive landscapes: diverse forests, rivers, and waterfalls. These features support a major share of the world’s richest biodiversity, including numerous endemic species found nowhere else. Monsoon rainfall keeps the mountains green and fertile, helping sustain ecosystems year after year. Approximately 30% of India’s plant species are found in the Western Ghats, and 70% of this flora has medicinal value. Agriculture is the backbone of many local livelihoods. Fertile valleys and heavy monsoon rainfall enable farmers to practise mixed cropping through terrace cultivation. Rice, millets, and seasonal vegetables grow alongside high-value spices such as pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. A wide variety of tropical fruits and seasonal plantation crops thrive in suitable microclimates.

As time moves forward, anthropogenic activity in the Western Ghats intensifies, severely affecting the natural balance of the ecosystem. Expansion of infrastructure, uncontrolled agricultural activities, rapid growth of transportation networks, and numerous industries have fragmented habitats and increased environmental pressure. These man-made developments boost temperatures, which affects the life expectancy of tropical plants, leading to severe drought. Simultaneously, the heavy and unregulated use of fertilisers, pesticides, and herbicides contaminates both minor and major water bodies, and, more recently, microplastic elements were discovered in the Kabani River is shocking. Such pollution weakens the natural fertility of the soil and disrupts ecological relationships that support nutrient cycling and decomposition. Land crabs, native fish species, snakes, and many beneficial microorganisms are turned into the endangered category.

Exploitation has never stopped here; forest encroachment has fragmented wildlife habitats, forcing them to settle in smaller, more isolated pockets of forest. This raises their stress levels and limits their ability to survive. When natural resources become scarce, wildlife may increasingly move towards crop lands and villages. This intensifies human–wildlife conflict through crop raiding, livestock predation, and occasional injury to people and animals. Fragmented habitats and the lack of continuous wildlife corridors further increase encounters by restricting animal movement to their natural ranges. Addressing these challenges requires habitat connectivity, sustainable land-use planning, and practical measures such as community-led conservation. After all, we share only one planet- think before exploiting.