Pampadum Shola: Kerala Park Clears Invasive Australian Wattle
Why in the news
The park has become a restoration model: invasive Australian wattle was removed, and native grassland and wildlife are returning.
Key facts
- Location: Upper Devikulam taluk, near the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border close to Kodaikanal.
- Habitat: shola-grassland mosaic of the southern Western Ghats.
- Grasslands: natural aquifers that store monsoon water and keep streams perennial.
- Wildlife: Nilgiri marten, Kerala laughing thrush; endemic orchids and ferns.
Australian wattle
- Fast-growing, nitrogen-fixing tree from south-eastern Australia; British planting began in the early 1900s, widely in the Western Ghats in the 1960s-70s.
- Dense canopy suppresses native plants and lowers soil porosity.
- Deep roots drain aquifers, making perennial streams seasonal.
- Highly flammable; tied to the 2015 Pampadum fire.
Exam angle
- Rivers originating here: Pambar and Vaigai.
- Invasive species: Acacia mearnsii.