Recreating the Salim Ali route

The Kerala State Biodiversity Board and the Forest Department are
organising a bird survey in specified areas of Travancore and Kochi
that was surveyed by Salim Ali 75 years ago. The survey will start
from Marayur on Saturday and end in Karuppadanna in Thrissur on
December 31.It was in 1933 that Salim Ali came to Travancore on the
invitation of the Travancore king. The survey, which covered 14
locations in Travancore and 5 locations in Kochi, lasted all the way
from January 3 to December 31 of that year. Salim Ali, was assisted by
the then Thiruvananthapuram zoo curator N.G. Pillai.The present
survey, which will be headed by expert bird-watchers in the country,
will also look into the changes in the ecosystem and the biodiversity
of the region in the last 75 years. At the end of the survey, the
findings will be compared with the book by Salim Ali titled
'Ornithology of Travancore and Kochi' and the results will be
published as a new book.The survey will conclude with a seminar at
Thattekkad.The survey will also provide the students and local body
representatives a platform for interaction with the scientists. The
Bombay Natural History Society and the Salim Ali Wild Wings Trust are
also collaborating with the project.

The New Indian Express, 1st January 2009