Great Nicobar’s Crown Jewel Forest Under Threat: Why This Paradise Must Be Protected

In the past 50 years, I have visited almost all types of forests in India, often several times. I have also seen the tropical rainforests of Thailand and Malaysia, but I have never seen as rich a forest as in Great Nicobar.

During my visits to Andaman & Nicobar, I visited almost all major islands—from Narcondam Island in the north to Indira Point in the south—but even among the fabulous forests, mangroves and lagoons in this Union Territory, the tropical rainforest of Great Nicobar stands out. My three extensive visits to the island left me flabbergasted. As the Taj Mahal stands out among the historical monuments of India, so does the forest of Great Nicobar. It is our crown jewel, the Kohinoor of India.

A lot has been written about the tragedy this paradise is going to face soon. An ill-conceived plan of ‘holistic development’ has been chalked out. The Rs 81,000-crore Great Nicobar Project is set to be rolled out. The repercussions will be multi-pronged, threatening to impact the forests, rare species and indigenous tribes. It’s baffling that we have the audacity to ‘develop’ a million-year-old forest. We can only destroy forests, not develop them.

Rare and Endemic Birds

Nicobar comprises 21 islands covering an area of 1,841 sq km of which only 11 are inhabited. There are three subgroups—the Great Nicobar, the Nancowry and the Car Nicobar.

The Great Nicobar subgroup is the southernmost and comprises 11 islands and smaller islets, of which three are inhabited. This large island—spread across 921 sq km—remains ecologically protected as about 85 per cent of the island comprises the Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve. It is home to a pristine tropical rainforest and is renowned for its rich biodiversity and endemic species. It has been designated as a Tribal Reserve under the Andaman & Nicobar Islands (Protection of Aboriginal Tribes) Regulation, 1956, as it is inhabited by two indigenous communities—the Shompen and the Nicobarese.

The Nicobar Islands are one among the 221 Endemic Bird Areas (EBAs) in the world and among the 27 major EBAs in Asia, making them important for bird conservation.

It is the biodiversity of Great Nicobar that attracted me to visit it thrice for extended periods. It is home to 11 per cent of the vascular flora that is endemic to the island, 30 rare species that are endangered and confined to a few locations on the island and about 30 per cent of the flora that is not found on the Indian mainland. Characteristic endemics—such as the fern Cyathea albo-setacea and an ornamental orchid, Phalaenopsis speciosa—are found only on Great Nicobar and adjacent islands.

Bird life is extremely rich. Of about 150 species, 32 are endemic to the region. The Nicobar Megapode, an endemic species, is the most famous one, named after the island. Despite the 2004 tsunami, 405 breeding pairs have been found here, making it home to the largest population of megapodes. The Great Nicobar Island, along with the Little Nicobar Island, harbours 96 per cent of megapodes. Since the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the Nicobar Megapode in the ‘Vulnerable’ category, it is the constitutional responsibility of the government to protect it.

The Nicobar Parakeet, although not as rare as the Nicobar Megapode, is endemic to the region. Its habitat was under pressure until the Supreme Court intervened and imposed a ban on logging. Similarly, the Nicobar Scops-Owl is also endemic to the Nicobar group of islands, with the largest population found in Great Nicobar. The survival of Nicobar Sparrow-Hawk and the Great Nicobar Serpent-Eagle depends on intact forests.

Great Nicobar and Little Nicobar also have many subspecies of birds which are not included in the ‘Threatened’ category of the IUCN, but they are important as many of them are highly endemic and range-restricted. With recent advances in taxonomy, it is likely that many subspecies will be elevated to the species level in future. The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) and BirdLife International have identified Great Nicobar as an Important Birds and Biodiversity Area.

Rich Biodiversity

Apart from these rare birds, Great Nicobar and Little Nicobar have many surprises for conservationists. The Nicobar Crab-eating Macaque, also called the Long-tailed Macaque, is a common macaque of Southeast Asia. Another species of interest is the Giant Robber Crab, the largest land crab in the world. Though widely districted in the tropical islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, in India, it is found exclusively in the Andaman and Nicobar Archipelago, specifically on Great Nicobar Island and South Sentinel Island. The Horseshoe Bat is a fairly common indigenous mammal, but the Endangered Nicobar Treeshrew is endemic to Great and Little Nicobar Islands and needs conservation attention.

Protecting Great Nicobar Island would not only increase the survival chances of restricted-range birds, but also many endemic and endangered reptiles. These islands are home to 30 species of reptiles and nine species of frogs. Humayun’s Bronzeback, named after the famous naturalist and cousin of Salim Ali, is a common snake in the coastal forests. Other reptiles, like the Small-eared Island Skink (‘Vulnerable’), Daniel’s Long-tailed Agama and the Large-eared Skink, are also found here. The island is home to two endangered amphibians—the Nicobarese Tree Frog and Shompen Frog.

Precious Turtles

Great Nicobar is the only island in the archipelago with a perennial river. The beaches are the nesting ground for Green Turtle, Leatherback Turtle, Olive Ridley and Hawksbill Turtle. Incidentally, Leatherback is the largest turtle in the world, weighing up to 900 kg and is 2.4 metres in length. One of the reasons why Galathea National Park came into being in 1992 was to protect the nesting beaches of this giant. Unfortunately, the region has been marked for the ‘holistic development project’. What an irony.

Altering Coastlines, Forests

The settlement of mainland Indians on the island has led to the depletion of a 35-km long strip of forest along the southern coast. The ‘holistic project’ is threatening to alter more than 200 km of coastline. Although about 85 per cent of Great Nicobar is designated as biosphere reserve, which includes national parks and more, this is inadequate. The national parks protect only the central portions and less than 15 per cent of the coastal area of Great Nicobar. On islands, the first habitat to be destroyed under biotic pressure is the coastal forest. The southern tip of Great Nicobar, which is unprotected, has the largest uninhabited flat coastal forest and harbours large populations of endemic species.

What will happen to the local people and the Shompen and Nicobarese tribes? The unique culture and lifestyle of the Shompen is getting impacted because of the increase in the number of mainlanders and the cultural influences they bring along. Road construction, quarrying, and other developmental activities are some of the other concerns. The Great Nicobar Project is emerging as the biggest threat.

Asad Rahmani is a conservationist and an ornithologist