Context: Recently, researchers have experimented more than 7,000 rocks of Sahyadri plateau to find out how animals are responding to land-use changes in rocky habitats of Maharashtra.

What is a Plateau?

• A plateau is a flat, elevated landform with a relatively level surface, often surrounded by steep slopes or cliffs. It is higher than the surrounding areas and typically stretches over large areas.

About the Sahyadri plateau

• The Sahyadri plateau is a mountain range that runs parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula.

• The Sahyadri plateau also known as the Western Ghats and the Great Escarpment of India.

• It originates near south of the Tapti River.

• It passes through the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

• It is a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site.

• It is one of the 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world.

• Biodiversity hotspots are the regions having high species richness and endemism.

• It is older than the Himalayas.

• It has four tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregions.

• Forest type: tropical rainforest, montane forests, tropical dry forests and tropical moist forests.

• Fauna: leopard, lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri tahr, Malabar large-spotted civet, Asian elephant, Nilgiri langur and gaur

Key highlights of the research

• The white-striped viper gecko (Hemidactylus albofasciatus) was found only in the Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts of Maharashtra.

• The Seshachari’s caecilian (Gegeneophis seshachari) is a unique legless amphibian that mostly lives under soil.

What are the matters of concern?

• There is a rapid shift from traditional local grain cultivation to monoculture plantations of mango and cashew in the Sahyadri plateaus of Maharashtra.

• This is impacting amphibians, insects, and reptiles that live under a crop of loose rocks. 

• The loose rocks shelter the animals from scorching heat during summer and heavy monsoon rains.

• Some animals include endemic and threatened. 

• They have evolved to survive on the rocky plateaus, but their adaptability to changing conditions is not enough for the pace of shift in the land-use pattern.  

How the destruction of rocks affects flora and fauna?

• It disrupts their natural habitats, leading to the loss of biodiversity.

• Many plants and animals, especially those adapted to rocky environments, lose their homes and food sources.

• This disruption can result in the decline or extinction of certain species, impacting the delicate balance of the ecosystem.

• The removal of rocks can alter microclimates and water availability, further affecting the survival of flora and fauna.