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In the heart of the Western Ghats lies a rare conglomeration of freshwater swamps, restricted to a patch in Kulathupuzha, Kerala: it consists of plants with pneumatophores (aerial roots that grow vertically out of water) and stilt roots adapted to waterlogged conditions and they support a plethora of fauna. They are ecologically crucial in regulating floods, recharging groundwater, offering a perennial flow of freshwater.
But, these ‘Myristica swamps’ that represent “one of the most primitive” ecosystems in India, are under siege from logging and conversion into paddy fields or tea plantations and areca nut, oil palm, and teak farms, cautioned a paper published in Current Science.
The conservation of these swamps requires urgent habitat protection, biodiversity documentation and molecular tools such as DNA barcoding to identify species and long-term ecosystem management, the paper added.
While mangrove forests, such as in the Sundarbans, exist in brackish and saltwater habitats, freshwater swamps in the tropics grow on fertile alluvial, waterlogged soils in the plains. Freshwater swamp forests occupy no more than 2.1 per cent of the Earth’s surface. The genetic variety of Myristica swamps dates back an astonishing 500 million years.
“Freshwater forest mounds and ridges produce a network of complicated thin channels that drain the forest to nearby rivers and streams, maintaining coastal water flow and removing silt, sediment and pollutants from flowing water,” said the paper.
Earlier research found that these swamps contain more than half of Kerala’s amphibians, 26 per cent of birds, 23 per cent of butterflies, more than 20 per cent of reptiles, 11 percent of spiders, 8.4 per cent of fish, and 6.6 per cent of mammal species of the State.
A disappearing ecosystem
These old swamps are so rare that they occur only in the Western Ghats (below 15.50°N); the Andaman and Nicobar Islands support a small distribution too. As for Kerala, these “disappearing habitats” are now limited to just 53 patches in Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary and the Anchal and Kulathupuzha forest areas, the researchers note.
Underscoring the Myristica swamp’s importance, the paper says that they are a unique wetland habitat that is “both terrestrial and aquatic at the same time.” They possess important watershed value that operates as “a ‘sponge’ that holds water, helping keep water in groundwater and streams during the entire year [and also] operate as a natural control system for floods during the times of heavy rain, said the paper.
Myristica swamp ecosystems are among India’s most ancient and fragile forest types, and harbour a high proportion of endemic flora and fauna and also serve as vital hydrological regulators and carbon sinks, co-author Divya P.R., principal scientist, Centre for PAGR, National Bureau of Fish Genetic Resources, Cochin, told The Hindu.
“Their preservation is essential not only to safeguard biodiversity but also to maintain perennial stream flow, mitigating floods, and ensuring long‑term climate resilience, she said, adding that legal protection, hydrological restoration, community‑based monitoring, and eco-restoration and systematic ecological monitoring are imperative to prevent further degradation.
Myristica matchsticks
Today, the wetlands’ water holding capacity vanishes when they are drained, filled or disturbed, “leading to erosion and floods during the monsoons and dry streambeds the remaining year,” said the authors. In fact, several Myristica swamps are believed to have gone extinct from agriculture, where swamps are drained, and from the creation of dykes and burning wood.
Moreover, the State Government gave a green signal to the plywood industry to chop Myristica species in the 1970s and M. fatua was “regarded as fit for the manufacture of matches and packing cases adding to their near-extinction,” the paper states.
The Indian government has made no attempts to conserve these ecological museums or to educate people about the swamps’ economic and ecological importance. “It is a centre of high priority for urgent management, protection and conservation efforts to safeguard them from endangerment and extinction,” the paper concludes.
Published – September 01, 2026 10:39 am IST
