Preserving our natural heritage a collective responsibility: Minister

Preserving our natural heritage is a collective responsibility, Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest & Climate Change and External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said at a special screening of the film “Nilgiris: A Shared Wilderness” hosted in New Delhi on Friday by Wildlife SOS, a non-profit organisation working to protect India’s wildlife.

As part of World Nature Conservation Day, which highlights the link between a healthy environment and a thriving society, the Wildlife SOS hosted a screening of “Nilgiris: A Shared Wilderness” at PVR Anupam in Saket, New Delhi.

The event united government officials, conservationists, journalists and filmmakers to spotlight the ecological importance of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.

The documentary, produced by Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies and Felis Creations, highlights the region’s rich biodiversity and the growing threats it faces. This includes habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict and climate change.

“The screening is a powerful reminder of the role we must play in preserving India’s biodiversity and ecological balance,” the minister said.

The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, located at the junction of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka in the Western Ghats, is India’s first declared biosphere reserve and a UNESCO-recognised site. Covering over 5,500 sq km, it is one of the most diverse ecosystems in the country, home to more than 3,300 species of flowering plants and nearly 140 species of mammals, including flagship species like Asian elephant, Bengal tiger, leopard, gaur and endangered lion-tailed macaque.

The film not only showcased lush montane rainforests and shola-grassland landscapes that define the Nilgiris, but also the pressures from encroachment, deforestation, unsustainable tourism and infrastructure development.

Nilgiris serve as a vital water catchment area for rivers like the Bhavani, Moyar and Kabini, which support agriculture and drinking water needs in several southern states.

The region also hosts a wide range of indigenous communities, including the Todas, Kotas and Irulas, who have long coexisted with the forests.

Rohini Nilekani, chairperson of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies, called the documentary a call to action. “If we wish to continue to conserve it, samaaj, sarkaar and bazaar will have to work in unison to nurture this ecosystem,” she said.

Director Sandesh Kadur of Felis Creations said the aim of the film was to spotlight the fragile balance that sustains the Nilgiris and its wildlife.