Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
| Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
 Gaur in Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve | |
  Location within Tamil Nadu  Location within India | |
| Coordinates | 8°41′N 77°19′E / 8.683°N 77.317°E |
| Area | 1,601.54 km2 (618.36 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1800 |
| Established | 1988 |
| Website | kmtr |
Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve is located in the South Western Ghats montane rain forests in Tirunelveli district and Kanyakumari district in the South India. It is the second-largest protected area in Tamil Nadu and part of Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve.[1]
History
[edit]Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve was created in 1988 by combining Kalakad and Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuaries, both established in 1962. The notification of parts of Veerapuli and Kilamalai Reserve Forests in adjacent Kanyakumari district added 77 km2 (30 sq mi) to the reserve in April 1996, and a 400 km2 (150 sq mi) core area has been proposed as a national park.[2]
The continuation of "Project Tiger" in Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve for fiscal year 2010–2011, at the cost of Rs. 19,433,000, was approved by the National Tiger Conservation Authority on 28 August 2010.[3]
Geography
[edit]
The reserve is located between latitude 8° 25' and 8° 53' N and longitude 77° 10' and 77° 35' E, about 45 km west of Tirunelveli City, and forms the catchment area for 14 rivers and streams. Among these rivers and streams, the Ganga, Thamirabarani, Ramanadi, Karayar, Servalar, Manimuthar, Pachayar, Kodaiyar, Gadananathi River, and Kallar form the backbone of the irrigation network and drinking water for the people of Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and part of Kanyakumari District. Seven major dams—Karaiyar, Lower Dam, Servalar, Manimuthar, Ramanadi, Gadananathi River and Kodaiyar—owe their existence to these rivers.
The reserve spans a range of 40 to 1,800 m in elevation. Agasthiyamalai (1681 m.) is in the core zone of the reserve.[4]
Conservation
[edit]Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve forms part of the inter-state Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve.[5] This part of Agastya Mala hills in the core of the reserve is considered one of the five centres of biodiversity and endemism in India. The Western Ghats, Agasthyamalai sub-cluster, including all of Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, was under consideration as a World Heritage Site.[6]
The Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment has developed and implemented a wildlife conservation intervention program in the reserve to decrease local villagers' dependency on the forests for fuel to and build community awareness about the value of biodiversity in the area.[7]
The newsletter "Agasthya" includes updates on research projects and staff activities at Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. The contents of the first issue included: "A Sanctuary for Cycas circinalis", "Tiger Almost", "Round in Agasthyamalai in Fourteen Days", "Corridors - It is Just Not for the Four Legged Furry Creatures", "Behaviour and Movement of Nilgiri langur in the Upper Kodayar Range – KMTR", "Canopy News", "Agasthya Village Commons and Backyards to Meet the Biomass Requirements: An Experiment with Panchayat Raj and Women Collectives", "Bi-Lingual Field Guide Test Run", "Snippets from the Field", "Cullenia exarillata: A Keystone Species for Birds?" and "Tea, Tiger and Oranges".[8]
Flora and fauna
[edit]
Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve has at least 150 endemic plants, 33 fish, 37 amphibians, 81 reptiles, 273 birds and 77 mammal species.[citation needed]
Habitat use by the grey junglefowl (Gallus sonneratii) at Mundanthurai plateau, Tamil Nadu, was investigated from December 1987 to March 1988.[9]
Settlements
[edit]There are several small estates and five Kani tribal habitations, consisting of about 102 families. About 145 hamlets situated within 5 km of the 110 km eastern boundary of the reserve are inhabited by 100,000 people. There are about 50,000 cattle grazing out of these fringe villages, with a small number of cattle owned by the tea estate workers and residents of the electricity board colonies.[10]
On 18 January 2018, the state government passed instructions to the Tirunelveli district collector and the state forest department to notify the entire area that originates at Thamirabarani River as a reserve forest. The state forest department sought the government to convert all tea estate areas leased out to private parties to be brought back under the forest cover. On 12 January 2018, the governor of the state declared new forest boundaries for Kalakad and Mundanthurai that caters water to five southern districts.[11] Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve has a large number of employees of the Electricity Board and Public Works Department who stay in three colonies and work at Karayar, Upper Dam, Servalar and Upper Kodayar reservoirs within the reserve. Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation has a 33.88 km2 (13.08 sq mi) land in the core area of the reserve leased from singampatti zamin valid until 2028. The company has tea and coffee plantations and three factories, and employs about 10,000 workers in the reserve.[citation needed]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ "Agasthyamala". United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
- ↑ "List of Proposed National Parks in India" (PDF). ENVIS. 2006.
- ↑ Yadav, S.P. (2010). "Centrally sponsored Plan Scheme 'Project Tiger' Administrative Approval for funds release to Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu during 2010-11" (PDF). National Tiger Conservation Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
- ↑ Tamil Nadu Forest Dept. Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve Archived 27 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine, 2007
- ↑ Samrakshan, PEACE–ELDF, "Lessons Learned from Eco-Development Experiences in India", June 2004, pp 255-275. Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ UNESCO, World Heritage sites, Tentative lists, Western Ghats sub cluster, Agasthyamalai. retrieved 20 April 2007 World Heritage sites, Tentative lists
- ↑ Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment ATREE Archived 2007-03-15 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Ganesh T. (March 2007) "Agasthya" ATREE, Bangalore, retrieved 3 April 2007 "Agasthya" Archived 2007-06-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Sathyakumar, S. (2006). "Habitat use by Grey Junglefowl Gallus sonneratii Temminck at Mundanthurai Plateau, Tamil Nadu" (PDF). Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society. 103 (1): 57–61. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 July 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2008.
- ↑ Project Tiger, Reserve Guide: Kalakad–Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, retrieved 13 May 2007 Kalakad–Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve Archived 26 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ "KMTR to be free without human habitation". Deccan Chronicle. 2018.
External links
[edit]- Dinamani - Website opened for Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
- Oneindia - Tourism Website for Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
- https://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article2334108.ece
- Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
