Threats come from climate change, encroachments, forest fires and industrial activities
Abdul Wahab Khan
Panaji : The Verna plateau — a biodiversity jewel of South Goa — is showing disturbing signs of ecological collapse. Endemic and rare plant species concentrated on the lateritic plateaus are under threat due to climate change, encroachments, forest fires, and industrial activities, a new study has said.
Researchers recorded 666 plant species across 121 families and four mushroom species in Verna — a landscape described as ‘representative of the Western Ghats rainforest’.
Of the flora documented, 50 per cent were herbs, 27 per cent trees, 11 per cent shrubs, and 12 percent climbers. Fabaceae was the most represented family. Native and medicinal plants are declining, especially monsoon-dependent grasses like Eriocaulon dalzellii, Ischaemum dalzellii, and Themeda quadrivalvis. Their life cycles are now disrupted by changing rainfall and land-use patterns.
Forest slope trees tied to Western Ghats biodiversity are affected too. “There are tree species on the slopes of the plateaus which are mostly native to the deciduous forests; they represent the Western Ghat rainforest.” These include Tabernaemontana alternifolia, Terminalia bellirica, Bombax ceiba, Syzygium caryophyllatum, Garcinia xanthochymus, Pongamia pinnata, and Dillenia pentag.
Titled ‘Exploring flora and their associated animal species in the village ecosystem of Goa’, the study was conducted by Dafilgo Fernandes, Neville Socorro Cruz Gama, Chenoa Coutinho and Fulgencio Cardozo under the Verna biodiversity management committee, and supported by School of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences of Goa University and Bharati Vidyapeeth Institute of Environment Education and Research, Pune.
“In an unsettling example of human-wildlife conflict,” the study has said, “The encroachment and rapid digging up of lands for industrial development has affected one of the caves present in the plateau area, causing the bats from that cave to move into the village.”
The loss also extends to avifauna. Piscivorous birds like Porzana fusca (ruddy-breasted crake) and Tachybaptus ruficollis (little grebe), once common around the Sal river and village paddy fields, are now rarely spotted,
hinting at broader ecological degradation across aquatic and semi-aquatic zones, the researchers have said.
Equally worrying is the decline in wildlife. Once rich in mammals adapted to the dry deciduous and scrub forests, the plateau is now witnessing a stark absence of species.
“Jungle cat (Felis chaus), golden jackal (Canis aureus), Indian wild dog (Cuon alpinus), and black-footed grey langur (Semnopithecus hypoleucos) are now rarely seen due to habitat loss from industrial activity; their population status remains unknown and requires further study.
Moreover two species — Manis crassicaudata (Indian pangolin) and Moschiola indica (spotted chevrotain) — are now considered extinct locally.
Larger species like Sus scrofa (wild boar) and the elusive Panthera pardus (leopard) are now very rare and found only in the most undisturbed corners of the plateau.
Avifaunal species are also disappearing.
The Sal, originating in Verna, is also suffering. “The introduction of the predatory species Clarias gariepinus into the Sal aquatic system has caused a significant decline in native fish populations,” the authors have said.
Native species like Clarias batrachus and magur are being replaced, along with native Channa and Macrobrachium species.
“These fragile ecosystems are especially vulnerable to environmental perturbations caused by industrial activity,” the study has added.
Mat vegetation, shallow depressions and rock crevices — vital microhabitats — are also disappearing. These features support unique species and maintain soil health and hydrology.
To halt the decline, the study has recommended creating protected areas and buffer zones, conducting ecological surveys, managing invasive species, and restoring water quality through treatment facilities. Sustainable agro-forestry and community engagement are also vital.
“Identifying key conservation areas through ecological surveys, especially those with high species richness and unique endemic plant communities, will help prioritise protection efforts,” the authors have suggested.
