Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary | |
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IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
Location | Andhra Pradesh, India |
Nearest city | Machilipatnam |
Coordinates | 15°46′27″N80°56′39″E / 15.77417°N 80.94417°E [1] |
Area | 194.81 km2 (48,140 acres) |
Governing body | Andhra Pradesh Forest Department |
Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary and estuary located in Andhra Pradesh, India. [2] It is one of the rarest eco-regions of the world because it harbors vast tracts of pristine mangrove forests. It is believed by conservationists to be one of the last remaining tracts of thick primary mangrove forests of South India, which is rapidly disappearing due to absence of protective measures. [3]
The sanctuary is a part of the mangrove wetland in Andhra Pradesh and are located in the coastal plain of Krishna River delta. The Krishna mangroves lie between 15° 2' N and 15° 55' N in latitude and 80° 42'- 81° 01' E in longitude spread across Krishna and Guntur districts of Andhra Pradesh. [4] It includes Sorlagondi Reserve Forest, Nachugunta Reserve Forest, Yelichetladibba Reserve Forest, Kottapalem Reserve Forest, Molagunta Reserve Forest, Adavuladivi Reserve Forest and Lankivanidibba Reserve Forest. They occupy the islands of the delta and the adjacent mainlands of Krishna and Guntur Districts. A part of the mangroves is located far from the main mangrove area. This unconnected regions lies near Machilipatnam on its eastern side and Nakshatranagar on its western side.
Some of the tree species in Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary are: Casuarina equisetifolia , Pongamia gladra, Calotropis gigantea , Cassia auriculata , Thespesia populnea , Ipomaea biloba, Spinifex squarrosus , Spinifex littoreus , Pongamia pinnate, Prosopis juliflora , banyan, peepul, margosa, tumma, mango, palmyra.[ citation needed ]
Fishing cats were recorded between November 2013 and August 2014 at several locations outside Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary. [5]
The sanctuary is home to reptiles including the garden lizard, wall lizard and tortoise.[ citation needed ]
Snakes of the area include: [6]
Common name | Formal name | Status | Common name | Formal name | Status | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Indian python | Python molurus | - | Common cobra | Naja naja | – | |
Common sand boa | Eryx conicus | – | Russell's viper | Vipera russelli | – | |
John's sand boa | Eryx johnii | – | Saw-scaled viper | Echis carinatus | – | |
Common wolf snake | Lycodon aulicus | – | Bamboo pit viper | Trimeresurus gramineus | – | |
Common kukri snake | Oligodon arnensis | – | Shaw's wolf snake | Lycodon striatus | rare | |
Striped keelback snake | Amphiesma stolata | – | Twin-spotted wolf snake | Lycodon jara | rare | |
Chequered keelback snake | Fowlea piscator | – | Gunther's racer | Argyrogena gracilis | rare | |
Common trinket snake | Elaphe helena | – | Smooth snake | Wallophis brachyura | rare | |
Rat snake | Ptyas mucosus | – | Painted bronzeback | Dendrelaphis pictus | rare | |
Common Indian bronzeback | Dendrelaphis tristis | – | Condanorus sand snake | Psammophis condanarus | rare | |
Common green whip snake / Asian vine snake | Ahaetulla nasuta | – | Stout sand snake | Psammophis longifrons | rare | |
Common cat snake | Boiga trigonata | – | King cobra | Ophiophagus hannah | rare | |
Common krait | Bungarus caeruleus | – |
The amphibian fauna present in the sanctuary include the common frog, the otter and the saltwater crocodile.
The herbivorous species present are spotted deer, sambar and black buck.
Other species found in the sanctuary are jungle cat, fox and bear.
Avifauna include crested serpent eagle, Indian roller, wagtails and pipits.
The Krishna River in the Deccan plateau is the third-longest river in India, after the Ganga and Godavari. It is also the fourth-largest in terms of water inflows and river basin area in India, after the Ganges, Indus and Godavari. The river, also called Krishnaveni, is 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) long and its length in Maharashtra is 282 kilometres. It is a major source of irrigation in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
The fishing cat is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. It has a deep yellowish-grey fur with black lines and spots. Adults have a head-to-body length of 57 to 78 cm, with a 20 to 30 cm long tail. Males are larger than females, weighing 8 to 17 kg, while females average 5 to 9 kg. It lives mostly in the vicinity of wetlands, along rivers, streams, oxbow lakes, in swamps and mangroves where it preys mostly on fish. Other prey items include birds, insects, small rodents, molluscs, reptiles including snakes, amphibians and carrion of cattle. The fishing cat is thought to be primarily nocturnal. It is a good swimmer and can swim long distances, even underwater.
The Eastern Ghats is a mountain range that stretches 1,750 km (1,090 mi) along the eastern coast of the Indian peninsula. Covering an area of 75,000 km2 (29,000 sq mi), it traverses the states of Odisha, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. The range forms a discontinuous chain of mountains along the eastern edge of the Deccan Plateau, stretching from north of the Mahanadi River in Odisha to Vaigai River in Tamil Nadu at the southern end of the Indian peninsula. The Eastern Ghats meet with the Western Ghats at Nilgiris. The average elevation is around 600 m (2,000 ft) and Arma Konda is the highest peak in the mountains at 1,680 m (5,510 ft).
Coastal Andhra, also known as Kosta Andhra, is a geographic region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, comprising the coastal districts of the state between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal, from the northern border with Orissa to Rayalaseema in the south. It includes major cities such as Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada as well as the state capital Amaravati and is recognized for its fertile lands, rich cultural heritage, and economic importance. Coastal Andhra plays a significant role in the state's agricultural output, particularly in rice and tobacco production, supported by abundant water resources from the Godavari, Krishna, and Penna rivers.
The East Deccan dry evergreen forests is an ecoregion of southeastern India. The ecoregion includes the coastal region behind the Coromandel Coast on the Bay of Bengal, between the Eastern Ghats and the sea. It covers eastern Tamil Nadu, part of Puducherry and south eastern Andhra Pradesh.
Pulicat Lake is the second largest brackish water lagoon in India,, measuring 759 square kilometres (293 sq mi). A major part of the lagoon lies in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh. The lagoon is one of three important wetlands that attracts northeast monsoon rain clouds during the October to December season. The lagoon comprises the following regions: Pulicat Lake, Marshy/Wetland Land Region (AP), Venadu Reserve Forest (AP), and Pernadu Reserve Forest (AP). The lagoon was cut across in the middle by the Sriharikota Link Road, which divided the water body into lagoon and marshy land. The lagoon encompasses the Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary. The barrier island of Sriharikota separates the lagoon from the Bay of Bengal and is home to the Indian Space Research Organisation's Satish Dhawan Space Centre.
The Sundarbans National Park is a national park in West Bengal, India, and core part of tiger reserve and biosphere reserve. It is part of the Sundarbans on the Ganges Delta and adjacent to the Sundarban Reserve Forest in Bangladesh. It is located to south-west of Bangladesh. The delta is densely covered by mangrove forests, and is one of the largest reserves for the Bengal tiger. It is also home to a variety of bird, reptile and invertebrate species, including the salt-water crocodile. The present Sundarban National Park was declared as the core area of Sundarban Tiger Reserve in 1973 and a wildlife sanctuary in 1977. On 4 May 1984 it was declared a national park. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site inscribed in 1987, and it has been designated as a Ramsar site since 2019. It is considered as a World Network of Biosphere Reserve from 1989.
Point Calimere Wildlife and Bird Sanctuary is a protected area in Tamil Nadu, South India, covering 21.47 km2 (8.29 sq mi) along the Palk Strait where it meets the Bay of Bengal at Point Calimere at the southeastern tip of Nagapattinam District. It was created in 1967 for the conservation of the blackbuck and also hosts large congregations of waterbirds, especially greater flamingos. It has been classified as an Important Bird Area.
Sundarbans is a mangrove forest area in the Ganges Delta formed by the confluence of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna Rivers in the Bay of Bengal. Spread across parts of India and Bangladesh, this forest is the largest mangrove forest in the world. It spans the area from the Baleswar River in Bangladesh's division of Khulna to the Hooghly River in India's state of West Bengal. It comprises closed and open mangrove forests, land used for agricultural purpose, mudflats and barren land, and is intersected by multiple tidal streams and channels. Sundarbans is home to the world's largest area of mangrove forests. Four protected areas in the Sundarbans are enlisted as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, viz. Sundarbans West (Bangladesh), Sundarbans South (Bangladesh), Sundarbans East (Bangladesh) and Sundarbans National Park (India).
Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary is an estuary situated near Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh, India. It is the third largest stretch of mangrove forests in India with 24 mangrove tree species and more than 120 bird species. It is home to the critically endangered white-backed vulture and the long billed vulture. Mangroves are a group of trees and shrubs that live in the coastal intertidal zone, with a dense tangle of prop roots that make the trees appear to be standing on stilts above the water. This tangle of roots allows the trees to handle the daily rise and fall of tides; hence, the mangrove forest gets flooded at least twice per day. The roots also slow the movement of tidal waters, causing sediments to settle out of the water and build up the muddy bottom.
The Godavari–Krishna mangroves are a mangrove ecoregion of India's eastern coast.
Andhra Pradesh Forest Department is one of the administrative divisions of Government of Andhra Pradesh. It is headed by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Head of Forest Force. The primary function of this department is protection, conservation and management of forests in the Andhra Pradesh State. The Forest Department is organised into 12 territorial circles and 43 divisions. In addition, one Senior Officer of the rank of Deputy Conservator of Forests functions as Planning and Extension Officer in each district.
Andhra Pradesh is a state in India. Andhra Pradesh Tourism Development Corporation (APTDC) is a state government agency which promotes tourism in Andhra Pradesh, describing the state as the Koh-i-Noor of India. Andhra Pradesh has a variety of tourist attractions including beaches, hills, caves, wildlife, forests and temples.
The Geography of South India comprises the diverse topological and climatic patterns of South India. South India is a peninsula in the shape of a vast inverted triangle, bounded on the west by the Arabian Sea, on the east by the Bay of Bengal and on the north by the Vindhya and Satpura ranges.
The state of Andhra Pradesh is considered one of the rich 123 bio-diversified states in India. Natural vegetation (flora) and animal life (fauna) depend mainly on climate, relief, and soil. Krishna and Godavari are the two largest rivers flowing through the state. The Andhra Pradesh Forest Department deals with protection, conservation and management of forests.
The coastline of Andhra Pradesh is located on the southeastern coast of the Indian Peninsula in the Bay of Bengal and is part of the Northern Circars. With a length of 975 km, it has the second longest coastline in India after Gujarat. The coastal corridor boasts several ports, harbors, vast stretches of sandy beaches, wildlife and bird sanctuaries, as well as fresh water lakes and estuaries.
Kolleru Bird Sanctuary is a sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh, India. It covers 673 square kilometers. It was established in November 1999, under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. The sanctuary protects part of the Kolleru Lake wetland, which gained Ramsar Convention for International importance in 2002.
Char Kukri-Mukri Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in southern Charfession Upazila of Bangladesh, located on Char Kukri Mukri island in the Bay of Bengal. The area of the sanctuary is 40 ha, and is elongated in shape. It is 130 km from Barisal town in the gangetic delta on the mouth of Meghna river. It is also called Charfasson wildlife sanctuary. Most part of the sanctuary is submerged twice in a day due to high tide and is covered with dense mangrove vegetation. The soil type is clay.
Gundla Brahmeshwaram Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary located in the Nallamala Forest in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The northern part of the sanctuary is an important part of the Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve.
Mangroves in India are coastal ecosystems characterized by salt-tolerant trees and shrubs, found predominantly along the eastern and western coastlines and in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. India hosts some of the largest mangrove forests in the world, including the Sundarbans, Bhitarkanika, and the Krishna-Godavari delta regions. The total mangrove cover in India is 4,991.68 sq km, which accounts for 0.15% of the country's total area.