PROTECTED AREAS OF KERALA

'Protected areas of Kerala'
- Kerala State in South India covers an area of . The total forest area in the state is (1995), forming 26.6% of the total geographic area. There are six National Parks with a total area of . There are fourteen Wildlife Sanctuaries with a total area of . is in Sanctuaries and National Parks. Together this is 23.7% of the total forest area and 6.3% of the Geographical area of the State.
These protected areas include a wide range of Biomes, extending east from the coral reefs, estuaries, salt marshes, mangroves andbeaches of the Arabian Sea through the tropical moist broadleaf forests of the Malabar Coast moist forests to the North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests and South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests to South Western Ghats montane rain forests on the western border of Tamilnadu in the Western Ghats. Most protected areas throughout its 14 Districts are under the stewardship of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (India) and the Kerala Forest Dept.
The first official action towards the conservation of wildlife and biodiversity in Kerala was taken in 1934 by the Maharaja of the Princely state of Travancore, Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, by declaring the forests around Periyar lake as a private game reserve to stop the encroachment of tea plantations. It was founded as Nellikkampatty Game Reserve. It was consolidated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1950 after the political integration of India. ^[1]
==Biosphere Reserves==
1986 Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve Part of Wynad, Nagarhole, Bandipur and Mudumalai, Nilambur, Silent Valley and Siruvani Hills Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka Western Ghats 5520 km²
2001 Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve Neyyar, Peppara and Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary and their adjoining areas Kerala Western ghats 1701 km²
==National Parks==

1978 Eravikulam National Park Idukki District, 97 km²
1982 Periyar National Park Idukki District, 350 km²
1984 Silent Valley National Park Palakkad District, 89.52 km²
2003 Mathikettan Shola National Park Idukki District, 12.82 km²
2003 Anamudi Shola National Park in Idukki District is composed of Mannavan shola, Idivara shola and Pullardi shola, covering a total area of 7.5 km².
2003 Pambadum Shola National Park Idukki District, 1.318 km²
Proposed Karimpuzha National Park, 230 km²
==Wildlife sanctuaries==
1950 Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Idukki District, 427 km²
1973 Wynad Wildlife Sanctuary Wayanad District, 344.44 km² TSE, MD, P, C 800 m-1158 m Elephant, Tiger
1973 Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary Palakkad District, 285 km²TE, TSE, DD, MD, P 459 m-1439 m Nilgiri Tahr, Lion Tailed Macaque, Gaur & Elephant
1958 Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary Thiruvananthapuram District, 128 km², TE, TSE, MF, MD, P, C. reed brakes. 80 m-1866 m Ibex, Lion Tailed Macaque, Elephant, Nilgiri Langur, Crocodile, Shola birds. More than 150 endemics.
1958 Peechi Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary Thrissur District, 125 km² Peechi-Vazhani TSE, MD, P, C. 40 m-928 m
1984 Chimony Wildlife Sanctuary 85 km² Thrissur District, 90 TE, TSE, MD, P, C 50 m-1116 m Elephant, Tiger
1984 Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary Kollam District, 171 km² Shenduruny
TE, TSE, MF, MD, P. Myristica swamps 120 m-1785 m Tiger, Lion Tailed Macaque, Shola birds & lesser predators. Gluta Travancorica (tree)
1984 Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary Idukki District, 90.44 km²TE, MF, MD, DD, P, C. Natural Sandal forests 440-2300 Nilgiri Tahr, Elephant, Dry habitat species of animals & birds
1976 Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary Idukki District, 70.0 km²
Idukki District TSE, MD, P, C 600 m-1200 m Elephant, Sambar
1984 Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary Kannur District, 55 km²
Kannur District 1984 55 MF, TE, TSE, C 60-1598 Gaur, Sambar, Nilgiri Langur,
1983 Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary Thiruvananthapuram District, 53 km²TE, TSE, MF, MD, P, C 60 m-1717 m Lion Tailed Macaque, Elephant, Shola birds
1983 Thattekadu Bird Sanctuary Idukki District, 25.16 km² TSE, MD, P, C 30 m-620 m Birds
2004 Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary Ernakulam District, 0.0274 km², Almost at Sea level
2006 Kurinjimala Sanctuary Idukki District, 32 km² (approx.) MF 800 m-2550 m (approx.) (Neelakurinji) plant
Useful sources are ^[2], Kerala Forests & Wildlife Department ^[3] and Expert Eyes ^[4]
==Tiger Reserves==
1978 Periyar Tiger Reserve 777.54 km²
Idukki District 1950. PTR notified in 1982 TE, MF, MD, P. West Coast TE 900 m-2019 m Tiger, Lion Tailed Macaque, Black Panther, Elephant, smaller mammals
==Zoos==

★ The Trivandrum zoo is one among the best designed in Asia and is set amidst a woodland, lakes and lawns.^[5] It is one of the oldest in the country, established as an annexe to the Museum in 1857.

★ The Kerala State Museum and Zoo started functioning in 1885. It is spread over in 5.5 hectors of land in Thrissur town. There are Zoological Garden, Botanical Garden, Art Museum and Natural History Museum in this compound. The Zoo has 315 animals in 46 species.^[6]
==Reserve Forests==

★ Attappadi - The 249 km² Attappadi Reserve Forest is an informal buffer zone conjoining Silent Valley National Park to the West.^[7] 81 km² of this forest was separated to become most of the new 94 km² Bhavani Forest Range which is part of the 147.22 km² Silent Valley Buffer Zone.

★ A useful source is detailed Topographic Maps of India.University of Texas Libraries, India and Pakistan 1:250,000, Series U502, U.S. Army Map Service, 1955
Topographic Maps of India
==Conservation reserves and community reserves

Contents

See also

References

External sources

Communal forests

Private protected areas

Conservation areas

Notes==
1. Kerala Forest Dept.Kerala Forest Dept.
2. National Wildlife Database Cell, WILDLIFE INSTITUTE OF INDIA DEHRADUN,
(position as on April 23, 2007), retrieved 7/25/2007 LIST OF PROTECTED AREAS
3. Kerala Forests & Wildlife Department, (2004)
Kerala Forests & Wildlife Department
4. Expert Eyes, WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES
5. Public Relations Department, Govt. of Kerala., 101 Things to Do in Kerala, retrieved 6/23/2007 Trivandrum zoo
6. Kerala State Department of Museums and Zoos Zoological garden, Thiruvananthapuram
7. keralaatbest.com (2002) "''Palgat''", retrieved 4/1/2007Palgat

See also

★ 'Protected areas of West Bengal'

★ 'Protected areas of Himachal Pradesh'

★ 'Protected areas of Tamil Nadu'

References

External sources