Climate change could transform Tamil Nadu’s Western Ghats by 2050 | Focus Tamil Nadu

The Western Ghats may still be green in the coming decades—but they may not be the same forests we know today. A new study by researchers from Anna University’s Centre for Climate Change and Disaster Management warns that climate change could gradually alter the composition of forests across Tamil Nadu’s Western Ghats, including the Nilgiris, Kodaikanal, Valparai, Courtallam and Kanyakumari regions. The study suggests that evergreen and deciduous forests could shrink, while drier thorn forests may expand by 2050. Such changes could affect biodiversity, water security, carbon storage and ecosystem stability across the State. In this episode of The Hindu Focus Tamil Nadu, D. Suresh Kumar explains what the findings mean, why scientists are concerned, and what the future could hold for one of India’s most important biodiversity hotspots.