Unraveling the Vayals

Wet evergreen forest | Anamalai hills | Southern western ghats | Parambikulam tiger reserve|

The study investigates and identifies low altitude marshy grasslands, colloquially called 'Vayals', in the Wet evergreen forest of Parambikulam tiger reserve. The system and it's criticality in terms of it's connection with geology, hydrology and topography were investigated for a larger understanding. The vayals, being a major source of food, act as the heart of the forest, linking the entire food cycles from autotrophs to herbivores and then to carnivores. The study tries to address deeper understanding of formation, depletion and modification of the vayal system, due to various factors, within the complex wet evergreen forest. The study ends with finding suitable points of pause within the forests, where one should stop, discover and closely observe the transition from dense moist deciduous forests into the wide open low altitude marshy grasslands- the vayals.