A new study has cautioned that the rare Myristica swamps of Kerala's Western Ghats are close to disappearing because of habitat loss. These freshwater swamps occur mainly in Kerala, with small patches in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Only 53 patches survive, in Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary and the Anchal and Kulathupuzha forests. They store water naturally, recharge groundwater, sustain perennial streams and reduce floods, but logging, drainage and conversion into paddy fields, plantations and farms have driven their decline.