14. FIELD STATIONS

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The Centre maintains field stations in the Uttara Kannada district (Karnataka) and the Nilgiri district (Tamilnadu) of the Western Ghats for carrying out a variety of ecological research in the region.

In 1983 the Centre opened its first field station at Sirsi (600 m above MSL), a town situated in the hills of the Uttara Kannada district. The station is linked by road from Hubli (120 km) and Bangalore (425 km); the nearest railway station is at Talaguppa (80 km). The station provides infrastructural facilities for our research on tropical forest ecology, human ecology, energy and environment, and eco-development. A computer is available in addition to basic laboratory equipment and a small library. A jeep and two motorcycles are stationed here. Visitors are normally accommodated in hotels in the town.

A second field station in Uttara Kannada was set up in 1984 at Kumta, a town on the west coast, 65 km west of Sirsi. Kumta is 200 km north of Mangalore and 70 km south of Goa. Research staff and students at this station work in the areas of tropical moist forest ecology and management, ecological history, environmental impact assessment, human ecology and coastal area management. Facilities include a library, basic laboratory equipment and a herbarium of the Uttara Kannada flora. Two motorcycles are maintained for transport. Visitors are accommodated at hotels in Kumta.

In the Nilgiris a field station was first set up during 1987 at Masinagudi (900 m above MSL) in the Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary. This station mainly caters to our ongoing research in the sanctuary on tropical deciduous forest ecology and large mammal ecology. The Mudumalai Sanctuary is typically covered by teak-dominated deciduous forest and boasts a spectacular assemblage of large mammalian wildlife including elephant, gaur, chital, sambar, common langur, tiger, leopard, wild dog, sloth bear and striped hyena. Our field station provides basic laboratory facilities such as a microscope, an electronic balance and a computer, in addition to a herbarium on the Nilgiri flora. A jeep and motorcycles are available for transport. Accommodations are available for research students and staff (including those with families) working in Mudumalai, while some very limited facilities are available for short-term visitors. It is however become common for visitors to be accommodated at one of the government rest houses or private lodges in the sanctuary. This field station is well connected by road from Bangalore (240 km), Mysore (100 km) and Udhagamandalam (36 km), and is a convenient point from which to approach other areas of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Mudumalai is an ideal location for holding seminars and workshops.

During 1993 a field station was also set up at Upper Bhawani (2300 m above MSL), at the fringe of the Mukurti Sanctuary, which is about 100 km southwest of Udhagamandalam. The Mukurti Sanctuary is home to the Nilgiri tahr which is endemic to the Western Ghats. This field station caters to research on the montane ecosystem including the dynamics of montane shola forests and grasslands, vertebrate diversity and palaeoclimate. Facilities here are minimal but include electricity and water. A nearby government rest house can accommodate short-term visitors.

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