The latter proliferated like weeds all over the area. Besides exotic biota, crop varieties of cotton, tobacco, chilies, plants like lantana and opuntia were introduced. The British introduced several schemes and plans for working the forest. However, these forests have been continuously disturbed ever since the British arrived. It is a crucial inter-frontier zone in South India. The Sigur forests lay under the domain of Vijayanagar and subsequently of Mysore rulers and the British. Quite often these forests are found to be highly degraded and are then referred to as open forest.
![badaga elephant corridor badaga elephant corridor](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/img/86778988/Master.jpg)
These forests are subject to intense biotic pressure from both fire as well as grazing. The tree stratum can reach a height of upto 12 mts. Scrub woodland forms a major portion of the eastern part it consists of groups of trees separated by thickets either derived from a dense forest by exploitation of the upper tree stratum, or from an open forest by the invasion of bushy species. There are upto three storey levels of trees. Though presenting a desolate view, the scrub lands are host to numerous floral and faunal species and its importance cannot be undermined. This diversity in rainfall has led to the profusion of a unique floral diversity harbouring giant trees along the riverine patches, multiple canopy layers in the west and an almost desert like stunted vegetation on the east. The mean temperature does not go below 15oC. Lying on the eastern part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, most of the plateau lies in the rain shadow region with average rainfall varying from 1400 mm in the western most edge to less than 800 mm in the eastern regions with a dry season of upto 8 months. In the east, the forest cover extends to the Sathyamangalam region, in the west it borders the Mudumalai Sanctuary, in the north, the Moyar Gorge separates it from the Mysore Plateau and in the south, the Nilgiri massif presents a formidable front. The forests are contiguous with those found in sanctuaries like Wynaad, Mudumalai and Bandipur Tiger Reserve. From being the domain of Tipu Sultan to the British and now hosting wildlife sanctuaries, hydel power units and a rapidly growing threat to its biodiversity, Sigur is forever an area in flux. There are evidences of high population in Sigur and contiguous areas in Bandipur in ancient times, however the current low population density have made the area a frontier zone, an outpost ofĬivilization. Even the population variance tells tales of stories we might never know fully. Thick forest cover and ancient temples, battered forts and lively folk tales speak of the mysteries hidden in the vast scrub land. Comprising a vast plateau and stretching almost 20 km in length, it is a rich repository of culture and ecology.
![badaga elephant corridor badaga elephant corridor](https://chsa.in/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/mainhouse_side.jpg)
For eons, it has been an important communication zone but has never been occupied for long by outside communities. Sigur which lies north to the Nilgiri massif is a distinct ecosystem often passed over in preference to the more popular and specialized niches, that lie adjacent to it. Sigur region forms a critical ecosystem within the Biosphere Reserve, a region that holds out both a great hope and a continual anxiety about its future.