As early as 1866, the famousBritishgeographer and explorerSir Clements Robert Markhamhad noted the environmental impact of the widespread practice of developingplantationson theWestern GhatsofKerala,KarnatakaandTamil Nadu. Perhaps his account could be one of the earliest critical documentation on the effects of the destruction of nature in Kerala.
The destruction of forests has been one of the chief agents in effecting changes in the earth’s surface, and the best methods of counteracting evils which may be caused by these extensive clearances is one of the most important questions that occupy the attention of physical geographers. This agency is now at work in the Western Ghats of India, those rich and beautiful mountain-districts forming the backbone of the Indian peninsula, and containing the sources of a water-supply, on which the prosperity – indeed, the very existence – of millions depends.