Researchers from the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation, Chennai along with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department have quantified the presence of more than 10,000 thriving Terminalia arjuna trees (known as ‘neer maruthu’ in Tamil) in the Moyar River Valley of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR).
The trees serve as nesting grounds for the critically endangered white-banded vulture (Gyps bengalensis) in the region, and we hope the study will provide valuable insights for conservation initiatives to help planners help vulture populations expand into habitats surrounding the MTR, from where they have either declined or disappeared entirely.
Funded by the Mudumalai Tiger Conservation Foundation, Udhagamandalam, the work was carried out in 2024 along a long and winding stretch of the main Moyar River and also included several of its tributaries – Avarallah, Bhoodhipatti, Edakkarapallam, lyanmathi, Kakkanallah, Kedarkalamalah, K. Currents Mukurthipallam, Poochapallam, Segurallah, Siriyurallah and Varapallam. Along with the enumeration of Arjuna trees (Terminalia arjuna) in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, girth, height and regeneration status of tree species were also recorded.
A healthy presence
Researchers S. Iyanar, Malavika S. Nair and Thirumurugan Vedagiri recorded the presence of 10,127 trees along a 77.6 km stretch of the river in the MTR. Of these, about 93 percent of the trees were found to be alive and thriving along the river course, indicating a healthy population. Mortality was observed in only 7% of T. arjuna trees, which is ecologically low, the researchers said. These trees also contain abundant biomass (93,589.6 tons) and carbon stocks (46,794.8 tons) in the landscape, they added.
Bald Vultures at Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in Udhagamandalam, Tamil Nadu. File | Photo credit: M. Sathyamoorthy
A short paper on the team’s findings, titled “Status and Ecological Significance of Terminalia arjuna, a Keystone Species in the Riparian Forests of the Moyar River Valley in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, South India,” and written by researchers including S. Iyanar, V. Thirumurgan et al, was published in 2025 in the Journal of Wildlife Sciences.
The researcher said that the largest number of trees were found in the Segur and Masinagudi ranges. “The number of trees in different size classes showed significant differences between forest stands,” the authors note, adding that trees in the Masinagudi, Segur and Theppakadu ranges “indicated a healthy, regenerating forest with a significant number of young trees. “In contrast, the NES and Singara ranges showed a decrease in the presence of smaller size class trees, suggesting that these areas have slow recruitment and a possible bottleneck in the establishment of young trees.
Griffon vulture nest on top of Terminal arjuna tree in Bukayalalalai Tiger Reserve. Photo: Special arrangement.
Speaking to The Hindu, Thirumurugan Vedagiri, one of the lead authors of the paper and project coordinator from the Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation, told The Hindu that the Moyar Valley is one of the strongholds for Terminalia arjuna and this augurs well for the recovery of the highly endangered Griffon Vulture.
Refuge
The researchers recorded the presence of 56 nests of white-banded vultures and 157 nests of Malabar squirrels in the trees. Trees also have ecological associations with other native plant and animal species, with tigers and leopards using trees to grind their claws, and other species such as mud crocodiles, elephants and deer using tree shade for resting and warmth. Sloth bears also depend on trees because termites often build large mounds near them, the researchers note.
Mr. Thirumurugan added vultures prefer to nest in trees that have large crowns. “There is one tree in the region with a crown radius of 700 centimeters where vultures are known to nest every year. Ensuring these trees are protected from any pressure will help vulture populations in the long term,” he added.
R. Kiruba Shankar, Field Director, MTR, said that the Forest Department is working to actively promote the re-establishment of native flora in the tiger reserve through an ambitious plan to eliminate two key invasive species of the region – Senna spectabilis and Prosopis juliflora completely from the landscape by the end of 2026, it is hoped that these efforts will lead to further expansion of the reserve’s native species. ensuring greater habitat availability for species such as the griffon vulture,” said Mr Shankar.
Published – November 9, 2025 5:30 PM IST
