Hello, this time, the ERA has something for Shola lovers. Our next webinar on Landscape Change & Invasion of Woody Invasives in the Shola Sky Islands will feature Dr Robin Vijayan detailing the damage that the ingress of introduced woodland species has caused in this delicate ecosystem, and of course possible paths to restoration.
We hope to see you there. Also, please share this with those who might find it interesting. They can register here.
Date: 23-07-24
Time: 4 pm onwards
Venue: Zoom Meeting
About the webinar:
Shola ecosystems are found on geographically isolated, high elevation regions of the Western Ghats, forming a “Sky-island” system. Despite their isolation, their matrix of montane grasslands and evergreen forests harbour disproportionately more endemic taxa of birds, plants, fishes and invertebrates.
However, the uniquely balanced ecological fabric of the Sholas has been unraveling, with much of the grasslands lost owing to the expansion of woody invasives and agriculture. In this webinar, Dr Robin Vijayan will explain the changes underway through the lens of habitat shifts for endemic birds in response to these landscape changes that he and his team have witnessed.
Join us as he also proposes a satellite image based scheme for Forest Departments and restoration teams to restore these lost habitats back to Shola grasslands and push back the invasion of woody biomass.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Robin Vijayan is an ecologist and evolutionary biologist who studies birds in the wild to understand different aspects of biodiversity around us. He is also an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Tirupati. Since 2000, he has worked on birds of the Shola habitat. He uses a combination of genetic, acoustic and remote sensing data to conduct his research.