List of protected areas of Tamil Nadu
Protected areas of Tamil Nadu cover an area of 3,305 km2 (1,276 sq mi), constituting 2.54% of the geographic area and 15% of the 22,643 km2 (8,743 sq mi) recorded forest area of the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. It ranks 14th among all the states and union territories of India in terms of total protected area.[1]
Ministry of Environment and Forests of Government of India and the Tamil Nadu Forest Department
.
Biosphere reserves
Gulf of Mannar
There are three Biosphere Reserves in Tamil Nadu.[2]
| Name | District | Area | Established |
|---|---|---|---|
Gulf of Mannar
|
Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi | 10,500 km2 (4,100 sq mi) | 1989 |
| Nilgiris | Nilgiris | 5,520 km2 (2,130 sq mi) | 1986 |
Agasthyamalai
|
Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli | 3,500.36 km2 (1,351.50 sq mi) | 2001 |
National parks
Tamil Nadu has five
National Parks covering 307.84 km2 (118.86 sq mi).[2]
| Name | District | Area | Established |
|---|---|---|---|
Anamalai
|
Coimbatore, Tiruppur | 117.1 km2 (45.2 sq mi) | 1989 |
| Mudumalai | Nilgiris | 103.24 km2 (39.86 sq mi) | 1990 |
| Mukurthi | Nilgiris | 78.46 km2 (30.29 sq mi) | 1982 |
| Gulf of Mannar | Ramanathapuram | 6.23 km2 (2.41 sq mi) | 1980 |
| Guindy | Chennai | 2.82 km2 (1.09 sq mi) | 1976 |
Wildlife sanctuaries
Tamil Nadu has 18 wildlife sanctuaries.[2][3][4][5][6]
| Name | District | Area | Established |
|---|---|---|---|
Anamalai
|
Coimbatore, Tiruppur | 841.49 km2 (324.90 sq mi) | 1976 |
| Cauvery North | Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri | 504.34 km2 (194.73 sq mi) | 2015 |
| Cauvery South | Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri | 686.4 km2 (265.0 sq mi) | 2022 |
| Gangaikondan | Tirunelveli | 288.4 km2 (111.4 sq mi) | 2013 |
| Grizzled Squirrel | Virudhunagar | 485 km2 (187 sq mi) | 1988 |
| Kadavur | Dindigul, Karur | 118.06 km2 (45.58 sq mi) | 2022 |
| Kalakkad | Tirunelveli | 223.58 km2 (86.32 sq mi) | 1962 |
| Kanyakumari | Kanyakumari | 457.78 km2 (176.75 sq mi) | 2008 |
| Megamalai | Madurai, Theni | 269.1 km2 (103.9 sq mi) | 2009 |
Mudumalai
|
Nilgiris | 217.76 km2 (84.08 sq mi) | 1940 |
Kodaikanal
|
Dindigul, Theni | 608.95 km2 (235.12 sq mi) | 2008 |
| Mundanthurai | Tirunelveli | 282.08 km2 (108.91 sq mi) | 1962 |
| Point Calimere | Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur | 124.07 km2 (47.90 sq mi) | 1967 |
Sathyamangalam
|
Erode | 1,411.6 km2 (545.0 sq mi) | 2008 |
| Periyar | Erode | 805.67 km2 (311.07 sq mi) | 2023 |
Tirunelveli
|
Tirunelveli | 356.73 km2 (137.73 sq mi) | 2015 |
| Vallanadu | Thoothukudi | 16.41 km2 (6.34 sq mi) | 1987 |
Elephant reserves
Elephant reserves
There are five declared elephant sanctuaries in Tamil Nadu as per Project Elephant.[2]
| Name | District | Area | Established |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agasthyamalai | Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli | 1,197.48 km2 (462.35 sq mi) | 2022 |
| Anamalai | Coimbatore, Tiruppur | 1,457 km2 (563 sq mi) | 2003 |
| Coimbatore | Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode | 566 km2 (219 sq mi) | 2003 |
| Nilgiris | Nilgiris | 4,663 km2 (1,800 sq mi) | 2003 |
| Srivilliputtur | Madurai, Theni | 1,249 km2 (482 sq mi) | 2003 |
Tiger reserves
Mudumalai