| Idukki Wildlife sanctuary | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Idukki district, Kerala, India |
| Coordinates | 9°46′50″N76°58′00″E / 9.78056°N 76.96667°E |
| Area | 105.364 km2 (40.7 sq mi) |
| Established | 1976 |
| Governing body | Department of forests, Government of Kerala |
Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary is Wildlife Sanctuary located in Idukki district of Kerala, India. Situated around the catchment area of Idukki Dam, the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary is rich in biodiversity and rich flora and fauna.
Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary is a forest area around the catchment area of Idukki Dam (Idukki Reservoir). The clearing of hectares of rainforest for the Idukki hydropower project has caused significant damage to the wildlife there. [1] In view of this, it was decided to protect the surrounding area. Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary is spread over Thodupuzha, and Udumbanchola taluks. [2] The sanctuary covers an area of 105.364 km2 (40.7 sq mi), out of which 72 km2 (27.8 sq mi) is forest land and 33 km2 (12.7 sq mi) is water body of reservoir. [2] The place was declared a wildlife sanctuary on 9 February 1976, as per government order numbered GO.7898/FM3/76/AD/09.02.76. [3] The sanctuary is located at an elevation of 450 to 1272 meters above sea level. [2] The highest peak in the sanctuary is Vanjur Medu which has a height of 1,272 m (4,173.2 ft). [2]
The Idukki, Cheruthoni and Kulamavu dams are located in this sanctuary. The Wildlife Sanctuary Warden is headquartered at Vellapara near Pinea. The nature study camps of the forest department are held here regularly. The district headquarters of Idukki, Painavu is located within the sanctuary.[ citation needed ]
The average temperature in the sanctuary varies from 15°C to 25°C, with the hottest months being March and April. [2]
The tree species found in Idukki wildlife sanctuary include ceylon ironwood, thampakam (Hopea parviflora), large-flowered bay tree, wild jack (Artocarpus hirsutus), pali (Palaquium ellipticum), malampunna (Calophyllum polyanthum), Vernonia arborea, karuva (Cinnamomum verum), teak, Indian rosewood, vella maruthu (Terminalia paniculata), Grewia tiliifolia and Malabar kino. [2]
Common animals found in the sanctuary include asian elephants, deer species like Sambar deer, Muntjac, Chevrotain, monkeys including Bonnet macaque and Nilgiri langur, squirrels including Indian giant squirrel, Wild dog, Wild boar, jungle cat, dhole and Jackal. [2] The sanctuary is also home to a large number of domestic animals including bulls, cows and buffaloes. They were trapped inside the wildlife sanctuary with the construction of the Idukki Dam in 1976. [4] Since the predator species are less here, the increased number of livestock is said to pose a threat to the wildlife listed under the Idukki Wildlife (Conservation) Act, 1972 as it reduces the amount of grass. [4]
The wildlife sanctuary is home to a number of birds including Greater Indian Hornbill, Heart-spotted woodpecker, Blue-bearded bee-eater, Malabar trogon, Black bulbul, Junglefowl, Laughingthrushes, Kingfisher and Peafowl. [1] [5] The bird-butterfly survey conducted at the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary in 2017 found many rare birds and butterflies. The survey was conducted by the Kerala Forest Department in collaboration with Warblers and Waders, a consortium of bird and nature lovers. [6] 163 species of birds and 107 species of butterflies were found in the survey. [6]
An increase in the number of butterfly species was reported in a survey conducted in the sanctuary in 2019. The survey on butterflies, birds, tortoises and ants was conducted by the Kerala Forest and Wildlife Department and the Travancore Natural History Society. [7] The management plan prepared 10 years ago recorded only 76 butterfly species, 2019 survey recorded 182 species. [7] The survey found butterflies including Papilio buddha, the state butterfly of Kerala, Southern Birdwing, the largest butterfly in India, The Golden tree flitter, the Painted Lady, migrating from Eurasia, the Malabar tree nymph, Common fivering, Common bush hopper, Yamfly and Common Nawab. [7] [5]
Vairamani is an islet formed in the Idukki Reservoir within the Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary during summers. [8] This islet, without human intervention, is being turned into a breeding ground for many birds in the summer months. [8] Currently, the islet is accessible only by boat controlled by the Forest Department. The Vairamani village was submerged in water in 1974 when the reservoir of the Idukki Dam was filled with water. [9]
The Western Ghats, also known as the Sahyadri mountain range, is a mountain range that covers an area of 160,000 km2 (62,000 sq mi) in a stretch of 1,600 km (990 mi) parallel to the western coast of the Indian peninsula, traversing the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world. It is sometimes called the Great Escarpment of India. It contains a very large proportion of the country's flora and fauna, many of which are endemic to this region. The Western Ghats are older than the Himalayas. They influence Indian monsoon weather patterns by intercepting the rain-laden monsoon winds that sweep in from the south-west during late summer. The range runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain called the Western Coastal Plains along the Arabian Sea. A total of 39 areas in the Western Ghats, including national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserve forests, were designated as world heritage sites in 2012 – twenty in Kerala, ten in Karnataka, six in Tamil Nadu and four in Maharashtra.
Idukki (ഇടുക്കി), IPA: [iɖukːi], is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. Idukki district lies amid the Cardamom Hills of Western Ghats in Kerala. Idukki district contains two municipal towns - Kattappana and Thodupuzha. The district currently includes five taluks in it.
The South Western Ghats montane rain forests is an ecoregion in South India, covering the southern portion of the Western Ghats in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu at elevations from 1,000 to 2,695 m. Annual rainfall in this ecoregion exceeds 2,800 mm (110 in).
Sharavati is a river which originates and flows entirely within the state of Karnataka in India. It is one of the few westward flowing rivers of India and a major part of the river basin lies in the Western Ghats. The famous Jog Falls, located about 25 km from Siddapura, are formed by this river. The river itself and the region around it are rich in biodiversity and are home to many rare species of flora and fauna.
Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR) also known as Satpura National Park is located in the Narmadapuram District of Madhya Pradesh in India. Its name is derived from the Satpura range. It covers an area of 524 km2 (202 sq mi). Satpura National Park, along with the adjoining Bori and Pachmarhi wildlife sanctuaries, provides 2,200 km2 (850 sq mi) of unique central Indian highland ecosystem. It was set up in 1981.
The Cardamom Hills or Yela Mala are mountain range of southern India and part of the southern Western Ghats located in Idukki district, Kerala, India. Their name comes from the cardamom spice grown in much of the hills' cool elevation, which also supports pepper and coffee. The Western Ghats and Periyar Sub-Cluster including the Cardamom Hills are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Anaimalai Tiger Reserve, earlier known as Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park and as Anaimalai Wildlife Sanctuary, is a protected area in the Anaimalai Hills of Pollachi and Valparai taluks of Coimbatore District and Udumalaipettai taluk in Tiruppur District, Tamil Nadu, India. The Tamil Nadu Environment and Forests Department by a notification dated 27 June 2007, declared an extent of 958.59 km2 that encompassed the erstwhile IGWLS&NP or Anaimalai Wildlife Sanctuary, as Anaimalai Tiger Reserve under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. According to the National Tiger Conservation Authority, the Reserve presently includes a core area of 958.59 km2 and buffer/peripheral area of 521.28 km2 forming a total area of 1479.87 km2.
The Idukki Dam is a double curvature arch dam constructed across the Periyar River in a narrow gorge between two granite hills locally known as Kuravan and Kurathi in Idukki, Kerala, India. At 168.91 metres (554.2 ft), it is one of the highest arch dams in Asia. It is constructed and owned by the Kerala State Electricity Board. It supports a 780 MW hydroelectric power station in Moolamattom, which started generating power on 4 October 1975. The dam type is a concrete, double curvature parabolic, thin arc dam. The Indo-Canadian project was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi on February 17, 1976.
Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (PNP) is a protected area located in the districts of Idukki and Pathanamthitta in Kerala, India. It is notable as an elephant reserve and a tiger reserve. The protected area encompasses 925 km2 (357 sq mi), of which 305 km2 (118 sq mi) of the core zone was declared as the Periyar National Park in 1982. The park is a repository of rare, endemic, and endangered flora and fauna and forms the major watershed of two important rivers of Kerala: the Periyar and the Pamba.
Mangalavanam is an ecologically sensitive area situated at the centre of the Indian city of Kochi, covering about 2.74 hectares. It also houses a shallow tidal lake connected with Kochi backwaters by a canal. It is situated behind the Kerala High Court building. It is a nesting ground for a large variety of migratory birds and supports many types of mangroves. The Managalavanam is often regarded as the "green lung of Kochi", considering its role in keeping the city's air pollution under check. The area is a roosting place for many kinds of resident and migratory birds.
Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary and natural World Heritage Site, which is located in Satara district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Further, this wildlife sanctuary is designated as an Important Bird area. The sanctuary is nested in the Western Ghats, covering an area of around 423.55 km2 (163.53 sq mi), and elevations ranging from 600 to 1,100 m. It was notified in 1985 as a wildlife sanctuary situated in Maharashtra. It forms the northern portion of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, with Chandoli National Park forming the southern part of the reserve.
Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area and tiger reserve as part of the Project Tiger, situated in Chikkamagaluru district, 23 km (14 mi) south of Bhadravathi city, 38 km (24 mi) 20 km from Tarikere town, northwest of Chikkamagaluru and 283 km from Bengaluru city in Karnataka state, India. Bhadra sanctuary has a wide range of flora and fauna and is a popular place for day outings. The 1,875 m (6,152 ft) above MSL Hebbe Giri is the highest peak in the sanctuary.
Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, which also includes the erstwhile Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, is a 643.66 square kilometres (248.5 sq mi) protected area lying in Palakkad district and Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. The Wildlife Sanctuary, which had an area of 285 square kilometres (110 sq mi) was established in part in 1973 and 1984. It is in the Sungam range of hills between the Anaimalai Hills and Nelliampathy Hills. Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as part of the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve on 19 February 2010. Including the buffer zone, the tiger reserve has a span of 643.66 km2. The Western Ghats, Anamalai Sub-Cluster, including all of Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, has been declared by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee as a World Heritage Site. The Tiger Reserve is the home of four different tribes of indigenous peoples including the Kadar, Malasar, Muduvar and Mala Malasar settled in six colonies. Parambikulam Tiger Reserve implements the Project Tiger scheme along with various other programs of the Government of India and the Government of Kerala. The operational aspects of administering a tiger reserve is as per the scheme laid down by the National Tiger Conservation Authority. People from tribal colonies inside the reserve are engaged as guides for treks and safaris, and are provided employment through various eco-tourism initiatives. Parambikulam Tiger Reserve is among the top-ten best managed Tiger Reserve in India. The tiger reserve hosts many capacity building training programmes conducted by Parambikulam Tiger Conservation Foundation in association with various organisations.
The state of Karnataka in South India has a rich diversity of flora and fauna. It has a recorded forest area of 38,720 km2 which constitutes 22% of the geographical area of the state. These forests support 25% of the elephant population and 20% of the tiger population of India. Many regions of Karnataka are still unexplored and new species of flora and fauna are still found. The mountains of the Western Ghats in the western region of Karnataka are a biodiversity hotspot. Two sub-clusters of the Western Ghats, Talacauvery and Kudremukh, are on a tentative list of sites that could be designated as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. The Bandipur and Nagarahole national parks which fall outside these subclusters were included in the Nilgiri biosphere reserve in 1986, a UNESCO designation. In the Biligiriranga Hills the Eastern Ghats meet the Western Ghats. The state bird and state animal of Karnataka are Indian roller and the Indian elephant. The state tree and state flower are sandalwood and lotus. Karnataka is home to 524 tigers.
The Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS), also known as Srivilliputhur Wildlife Sanctuary, was established in 1988 to protect the Near threatened grizzled giant squirrel. Occupying an area of 485.2 km2, it is bordered on the southwest by the Periyar Tiger Reserve and is one of the best preserved forests south of the Palghat Gap.
The Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, India. It consists of the catchment area of the Karamana River, which originates from Chemmunjimottai, the tallest hill within the sanctuary. The sanctuary is named after the Peppara Dam, commissioned in 1983 to augment the drinking water supply to Thiruvananthapuram city and suburban areas. Considering the ecological significance of the area, it was declared a sanctuary in 1983. The terrain is undulating with elevation ranging from 100 m to 1717 m. The area of the sanctuary is 75 km2 with tropical moist evergreen forests and myristica swamps. It is part of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve. Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary is 44 kilometres (27 mi) by car from the nearest railway station, at Thiruvananthapuram, and 49 kilometres (30 mi) from the Thiruvananthapuram airport.
The Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is a 208.5-km2 (80.5-mi2) protected area in the Indian state of Goa in the Western Ghats of South India. It is located in the North Goa District, Sattari taluka near the town of Valpoi. The sanctuary is an area of high biodiversity, and is being considered to become a Project Tiger tiger reserve because of the presence of Bengal tigers.
Edamalakkudy or Idamalakkudy is a remote tribal village and gram panchayat between the Idamalayar Reserve Forest and Mankulam Forest Division of the Anamalai hills in the Idukki district of the Kerala state of India.
Vairamani also spelled as Vairamoni was a village in Idukki district of Kerala. The village was submerged in water in 1974 when the reservoir of the Idukki Dam was filled with water.