In a new book, naturalist TR Shankar Raman writes about how Kalakad’s rainforest transformed him

A place that is marked by the presence of people is not unusual, but a place that leaves an indelible mark on people is extraordinary. In the ancient mountains at the southern tip of the great Western Ghats ranges, sheltering among rocky peaks and rugged slopes draped with tall evergreen forest, lies one such place. A place of beauty and challenge and diversity, which if you have really experienced it, you will declare has no real equal. And if you have lived and worked there, wherever you go, the place will go with you. It will remain a benchmark, a touchstone, a reference point in felt memory and field experience, against which you will forever measure other places, newer knowledge. A place that does all this, slowly, gently, but inevitably, is Kalakad–Mundathurai Tiger Reserve.

Near the southern tip of the Indian peninsula, the Kalakad–Mundathurai Tiger Reserve sprawls over an expansive forest landscape within the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu state. Occupying 895 square kilometres, it adjoins other wildlife sanctuaries (Neyyar, Peppara, and Shendurney) and reserved forests lying across the administrative boundary in Kerala state, forming a forest tract nearly twice as large as the Agasthyamalai–Ashambu hill ranges. Biologists consider this landscape one...

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