2,000 species of flora, fauna in Agathiar film

CHENNAI: Having fallen in love with the beauty of Agathiar Hills on the Western Ghats, an environmental enthusiast has shot a docu-feature on the hills, which is one of 34 biodiversity hotspots of the world.S Mohanram, producer and director of the docu-feature titled Or Arunthamizh Kadu (A Tamil forest), said during a press conference here on Thursday that it was the first documentary on the Agathiar Hills. “The hills situated in the southern most tip of Western Ghats is spread across Tamil Nadu and Kerala and is a treasure trove of biodiversity. Except for lions, the reserved forest has almost every species, including the endangered and endemic,” he said.The forest which is also rich in flora and has a plethora of herbal plants. He said, “Totally, we captured 2,000 species of plants and animals spread over 1,300 sq.km. It includes 100 varieties of butterflies, 20 kinds of snakes and a green frog — considered as an endangered species.”Shooting for this docu-feature  began in 2008, and has been completed. Currently the docu-feature is being edited and will be released in a few months.