List of protected areas of Kerala
Land coverage
The state of Kerala covers an area of 38,863 km2 (15,005 sq mi).
- The total forest area in the state is 10,336 km2 (3,991 sq mi) (1995), forming 27.83% of the total geographic area.
- There are six national parks with a total area of 558.16 km2 (215.51 sq mi).
- There are fourteen wildlife sanctuaries with a total area of 1,891.07 km2 (730.15 sq mi).
- Together the protected area totals 2,449.23 km2 (945.65 sq mi), which cover 23.7% of the total forest area and 6.3% of the geographical area of Kerala State.
History
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 named Nellikkampatty Game Reserve and was consolidated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1950 after the political integration of India. [1]
Biosphere reserves
1. Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (5,520 km2) established in 1986, includes parts of Wayanad, Malappuram & Palakkad districts of Kerala and parts of Tamil Nadu & Karnataka.
2.
National parks
1978
1982
1984
2003
2003
2003
Wildlife sanctuaries
Wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala include:[2][3]
- Thiruvananthapuram District, 128 km2 (49 sq mi)in 1958.
- Thrissur District, 125 km2 (48 sq mi), in 1958
- Wayanad District, 344.44 km2 (132.99 sq mi) in 1973.
- Idukki District, 70 km2 (27 sq mi)n 1976.
- Thiruvananthapuram District, 53 km2 (20 sq mi), in 1983.
- Idukki District, 25.16 km2 (9.71 sq mi), in 1983.
- Thrissur District, 85 km2 (33 sq mi), in 1984.
- Kollam District, 171 km2 (66 sq mi), in 1984.
- Idukki District, 90.44 km2 (34.92 sq mi), in 1984.
- Kannur District, 55 km2 (21 sq mi), in 1984.
- Ernakulam District, 0.0274 km2 (0.0106 sq mi), in 2004
- Idukki District, 32 km2 (12 sq mi), in 2006.
- Karimpuzha WLS in Malappuram district, 227.97 km2, in 2020.
Tiger reserves
- Periyar Tiger Reserve(PTR) in Idukki district is adjacent/within the Periyar National Park, in 1978.
- Parambikulam Tiger Reserve (PKTR) in Palakkad district, in 2009.
Zoos
- The Thiruvananthapuram Zoo is one among the best designed in Asia and is set amidst a woodland, lakes and lawns.[4] It is one of the oldest in the country, established as an annexe to the museum in 1857.
- The Thrissur Zoo is home to the wide variety of animals, reptiles and birds. Spread over an area of 13.5 acres of land, a natural history museum and an art museum are also enclosed within the same premises showcasing the socio-cultural heritage of the region. There is a special building which houses snakes also.[5]
Reserve forests
- Attappadi - The 249 km2 Attappadi Reserve Forest is an informal buffer zone conjoining Silent Valley National Park to the West.[6] 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.
- Idamalayar Reserve Forest- surrounding the Edamalayar Dam to the north, east and a south-east, covering Thrissur and Ernakulam districts. Eravikulam National Parkis to the south-east, and Mankulam Forest Division to the east.
- A useful source is detailed Topographic Maps of India.[7]
See also
- Protected areas of West Bengal
- Protected areas of Himachal Pradesh
- Protected areas of Tamil Nadu
Notes
- ^ Kerala Forest Dept.Kerala Forest Dept.
- ^ Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department (2004) Kerala Forests and Wildlife Department
- ^ Wildlife Institute of India 2007 List of Protected Areas Archived 2007-08-10 at the Wayback Machine, Dehradun
- ^ Public Relations Department, Govt. of Kerala., 101 Things to Do in Kerala, retrieved 6/23/2007 Trivandrum zoo Archived 2007-06-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Kerala State Department of Museums and Zoos Zoological garden, Thiruvananthapuram Archived 2007-06-22 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ keralaatbest.com (2002) "Palgat", retrieved 4/1/2007 Palgat Archived 2007-04-18 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ University of Texas Libraries, India and Pakistan 1:250,000, Series U502, U.S. Army Map Service, 1955 Topographic Maps of India