First-Ever Fernarium

• 03 Apr 2023

Recently, Eravikulam National Park (ENP) in Munnar, the natural habitat of the Nilgiri tahr, has established a Fernarium, which houses 52 varieties of ferns.

• The initiative aims to raise awareness among visitors about the park's biodiversity.
• Ferns are part of the Epiphytic family and are the ecological indicator of healthy forests, according to the botanist.
• It grows naturally in a soilless condition and obtains water and nutrients through leaching from trees.
• This Fernarium is located near the orchidarium. (A Fernarium is a specialized greenhouse or botanical garden that is designed to cultivate and display ferns, which are a type of plant that do not have flowers and rely on simple tubes to transport water and nutrients throughout the plant).
• The park also offers new facilities such as a selfie point and buggy cars for visitors to explore the park.
• A survey of new births in ENP will be held on April 20 to record the number of Nilgiri tahrs born during the calving season. The last annual census recorded 785 tahrs, while 125 new calves were sighted.
• The park expects to find around 150 new calves this time.