The Western Ghats

Shanti asks Appa what makes places like the islands and the Northeast so special. Appa says that many of the plants and animals found there are not found anywhere else in the world. A place like that is one of nature's special places — a kind of nature's hotspot.

Next they go to another hotspot: the Western Ghats, a long chain of forested hills known for its rich plant and animal life. The Indian giant squirrel, which you read about in Grade 4, lives here. The lion-tailed macaque, a monkey, is found ONLY here. Several rivers of India begin from these hills.

These hills have many plants used in traditional medicine, and many of them grow only here. Tribal communities and other forest-dwelling people have lived here for generations. They depend on the forest and its plants for food, medicine and their livelihood — the way they earn a living.

Shanti meets Satish, a researcher guiding a group of students. He tells her that, with help from schools, farmers and experts, they found and recorded over 200 types of mangoes in the Western Ghats! Now they are looking at jackfruit and jamun too.