Tamil Nadu

Agasthyamalai in Tamil Nadu declared as an elephant reserve

The Asian elephant is considered to be a premier flagship species, and its presence is a crucial indicator of the health of a forest and the ecosystem, the government said in its notification.

Written by : TNM Staff

The Tamil Nadu government has announced that a new elephant reserve will be established in Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts. In a gazette dated August 12, the government notified Agasthyamalai Elephant Reserve with a total area of 1,19,748.26 hectares, constituting 81,811.36 hectares of forest from Tirunelveli district and 37,936.9 hectares of forest land from Kanyakumari district. The forest falls in three taluks in Tirunelveli district, namely Ambasamudram, Nanguneri and Radhapuram; and four taluks in Kanyakumari district — Kalkulam, Vilavancode, Thiruvattur and Thovalai.

The Asian elephant is considered to be a premier flagship species, and the animal’s presence is a crucial indicator of the health of a forest and the ecosystem, the government said in its notification. The gazette also points out that the forest areas of Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve and Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary in Agasthyamalai landscape constitute the most important habitats of Asian elephants in the southernmost part of the Western Ghats. It also states that the Tamil Nadu government is taking steps to ensure the conservation of the species and “enrich the health and connectivity of the elephant migratory paths in Agasthyamalai landscape through proper research and effective management techniques”.

Earlier, on August 12, Union Cabinet Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav had announced that another forest reserve is to be established at the Agasthyamalai biosphere reserve. In a tweet, he said. “I am very happy to share with you all that later today, India will witness the establishment of one more Elephant Reserve, Agasthiyamalai in Tamil Nadu, adding another 1,197 sq km of protected area dedicated to conservation of elephants. #WorldElephantDay2022”.

Also Read: TN forest dept to use AI surveillance to prevent elephant deaths in train accidents

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