Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve

Coordinates: 11°38′24″N 77°13′34″E / 11.64000°N 77.22611°E / 11.64000; 77.22611
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Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
Map of Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve, showing Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary
Map showing the location of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
Map showing the location of Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
Nearest cityCoimbatore
Coordinates11°38′24″N 77°13′34″E / 11.64000°N 77.22611°E / 11.64000; 77.22611
Area1,408.6 km2 (543.9 sq mi)
Elevation1790
Established3 November 2008
Governing bodyTamil Nadu Forest Department
Websitehttps://sathytiger.org/

Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve is a

tiger reserve. It was the fourth tiger reserve established in Tamil Nadu as a part of Project Tiger
and is the third largest in the state.

The reserve is a significant ecosystem and a

.

The reserve had a

World Wide Fund in collaboration with wildlife conservation agencies for its growth in tiger population.[5]

History

Patches of sandalwood reserves including the Sathyamangalam forests were notified under the Indian Forests Act, 1927. The forests were part of the erstwhile

Mudumalai tiger reserves.[11][8] On 1 April 2010, the Government of Tamil Nadu announced that it would initiate action to declare the sanctuary as a tiger reserve because of the consistent sighting of tigers in the forest area and the tiger reserve declaration would strengthen wildlife conservation efforts, as the sanctuary managers will get more financial support from the central government and the Government of India may also provide support to appoint an additional anti-poaching watchers and fund the establishment of anti-poaching camps.[12]

On 10 March 2011, the

Hyderabad. The findings also indicated that the region is home to as many as 30 tigers.[14]

Supported by the reports of tiger sightings, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department submitted a detailed report to the state government supporting the tiger reserve proposal. The proposal came up for consideration before the Tamil Nadu Council of Ministers in 2012.

Expanse

Sathyamangalam Forest Division in Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve

The total area originally declared as a sanctuary was 524.3494 km2 (202.452 sq mi).[7] The boundaries of the sanctuary were the Thalavadi range of Thalamalai forests and Hasanur, T.N.Palayam ranges of Gobichettipalayam taluk of Guthiyalathur forests, contiguous with Billigiriranga Swamy Temple Wildlife Sanctuary in the north and the rivers of Moyar and Bhavani, contiguous with Mudumalai National Park and Sigur Plateau in the south. The eastern boundary is formed by the Bargur reserved forests in Anthiyur taluk and Bandipur National Park in the west.[7] The sanctuary includes the areas of Guthiyalathur reserved forests (299.47 km2 (115.626 sq mi)), Guthiyalathur extension (1.6231 km2 (0.627 sq mi)), Thalamalai reserved forests (210.85 km2 (81.410 sq mi)) and Thalamalai extension (12.4063 km2 (4.790 sq mi)).[7]

In September 2011, the Department of forests increased the sanctuary area by declaring an additional 887.26 km2 (342.57 sq mi) in seven reserve forests of Sathyamangalam forest division. The largest chunks of additional area are 487.92 km2 (188.39 sq mi) from Guthiyalathur and 319.87 km2 (123.50 sq mi) from Thalamalai reserve forests, thus increasing the total sanctuary area to 1,411.6 km2 (545.0 sq mi).[11] Of the total area, the core zone comprises 917.27 km2 (354.16 sq mi) reserved forests and tourism is allowed in the buffer zone with only forest officials permitted entry into the core zone.[18]

Flora

Sathyamangalam forests

The Sathyamangalam forest is mostly

ungulates, the preferred prey of tigers.[20]

Fauna

An Asian Elephant at the sanctuary
An Indian pitta

The Sathyamangalam forests link the Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats allowing gene flow between diverse fauna populations of the two eco-regions.[9] The 2009 wildlife survey conducted by Government of Tamil Nadu enumerated 10

barking deer and four-horned antelopes, 843 wild boars, and 43 sloth bears. Herds of the famous feral buffaloes can also be spotted in places near the Moyar river.[21]

The 2010 wildlife survey counted 12 Bengal tigers.

World Wide Fund in collaboration with wildlife conservation agencies for its growth in tiger population.[5]

As per the 2011 census, the Sathyamangalam forests was home to over 850 Indian elephants and is part of a protected area, which consists of the largest Asian elephant population in the world.[22][24]

Birds

The reserve hosts many bird species including

mynahs and crows.[12] In 2010, the first ever bird survey was conducted in the Sathyamangalam forests and a total of 230 species of birds were recorded in the survey.[25]

In 2010, a small population of

critically endangered Indian vulture (Gyps indicus) and three other species of vultures were discovered in the Moyar river valley. 20 nests were sighted and the population was estimated to consist up of 40 adults.[26] A bird rapidly disappearing from India, it was last sighted in the region in the 1970s and the rediscovery is significant to its conservation.[27] Diclofenac, which caused the decline of vulture population was banned in 2006 and since then, vulture numbers have started to grow back.[28][29]

Issues and conservation

Conservation of the Sathyamangalam Forest Division is administered by the

Conservator of Forests, STR-Erode.[3] The wildlife sanctuary is part of Project Tiger and Project Elephant conservation programmes run by the Government of India.[30][31] The sanctuary is listed among the top five places in India for poaching tigers by the international wild life trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC.[32] In February 2016, the National Tiger Conservation Authority announced that drones will be used to monitor tiger population in five tiger reserves including Sathyamangalam.[33]

The reserve also faces issues due to

forest fires, uncontrolled grazing of cattle and growth of invasive plant species, damaging the ecosystem.[32] Man-animal conflicts are common especially with elephants and leopards. Elephants raid crop fields and illegal electric fences used to protect crops mortally wound elephants and five elephants were electrocuted in three-month period between January and April 2013.[32][34] As of 2011, Solar powered fencing that give a short and safe electric shock was laid over a length of 239 kilometres (149 mi) to prevent the entry of elephants into agricultural lands. The state forest department also dug trenches at a cost of 1.51 crore (US$190,000) to prevent the elephants from entering human habitats.[35] Leopards prey on domestic cattle with as many as 27 goats killed by them in a single month in November 2012.[32] National highway 948 passes through the wildlife sanctuary and wildlife deaths have been reported due to vehicular movement in the highway at night.[24][36]

Tribal population

These forests are home to

title deeds for the same are to be distributed within 2016 after the Supreme Court of India vacated a stay order issued by the Madras High Court prohibiting the same.[38]

The forests were also the home of notorious criminal and bandit

Veerapan, who made a living poaching ivory and sandalwood from the forests and selling them on the black market. Veerapan was killed by the Tamil Nadu Police in October 2004.[39]

References

  1. ^ "Saving the tiger in Sathyamangalam". The Hindu. 5 February 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Tamil Nadu Forest Department Official Website". Govt of Tamil Nadu, Forests Department. Tamil Nadu Forest Department. Retrieved 22 April 2020.
  3. ^ a b "About STR-Erode" (PDF) (pdf). Government of Tamil Nadu. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  4. WWF
    . Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve bags TX2 award". The Hindu. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  6. ^ E. Key (1885). The Manual of the Administration of the Madras Presidency, Vol. II. Chennai: Government Press, Madras. p. 72. Retrieved 20 April 2020.
  7. ^ a b c d Principal Secretary to Government of Tamil Nadu (3 December 2008). "Declaration of Sathyamangalam Forest Division as Wild Life Sanctuary under the Wild Life (Protection) Act" (PDF). Chennai: Government of Tamil Nadu: 390. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 February 2012. Retrieved 24 January 2011. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  8. ^ a b Biloy, C.R. (1 April 2010). "Good news for the tiger?". The Hindu. Chennai, india. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
  9. ^ a b "Sathyamangalam could be a tiger reserve". The Times of India. Chennai, India. 1 March 2010. Archived from the original on 10 May 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2012.
  10. ^ "Over 100 tigers spotted in three tiger reserves, says forest minister". The Times of India. 24 October 2010. Archived from the original on 28 October 2010. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  11. ^ a b Aravind Kumar, B. (27 September 2011). "Sathyamangalam wildlife sanctuary expanded to 1.41 lakh hectares". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 17 September 2011.
  12. ^ a b Madhavan, Karthik (1 April 2010). "Healthy tigers spotted in Sathyamangalam forests". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  13. ^ a b "Tiger reserve status for Sathyamangalam likely". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 10 March 2011. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 13 March 2013.
  14. ^ Shaji, K A (26 December 2011). "WWF study confirms at least 25 tigers in Sathyamangalam forests". The Times of India. Coimbatore, India. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  15. ^ Shaji, K A (26 November 2011). "WWF study confirms at least 25 tigers in Sathyamangalam forests". The Times of India. Coimbatore, India. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2012.
  16. ^ "Two more tiger reserves for TN". IBN Live. Chennai, India. 6 April 2012. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2012.
  17. ^ "Sathyamangalam declared tiger reserve". The Times of India. Chennai, India. 20 March 2013. Archived from the original on 21 March 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
  18. ^ a b c Ramesh, S. (27 September 2011). "Plan for tiger reserve to be sent to Union Ministry for approval". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Archived from the original on 21 January 2012. Retrieved 27 December 2012.
  19. ^ .
  20. ^ a b Arul Pragasan, L.; Muthumperumal, C.; Parthasarathy, N. 27.0 Shola Forests and Some Important Species of Southernmost Eastern Ghats (Report). Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
  21. ^ Vinoj Kumar, PC (28 June 2008). "Trouble in Jumbo Land". Tehelka. 5 (25). Anant Media Pvt. Ltd. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  22. ^ a b Ramesh, S (1 January 2011). "Focus back on preventing poaching in forests". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  23. ^ "25 tigers in Sathyamangalam forest". The Times of India. 7 June 2013. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  24. ^ a b Lakshminarayanan, N; Mohan Raj, K (June 2015). "National Highway through Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary is a death trap for animals" (PDF). conservationindia.org. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 April 2016. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  25. ^ Oppilib, P.; Kumar, Aravind (1 April 2010). "Survey records 230 species of birds in Sathyamangalam forests". The Hindu. Chennai, India. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
  26. ^ Oppili, P (1 April 2010). "Vultures' nests sighted in Moyar river valley". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 April 2010.
  27. ^ Ramakrishnan, B; Ramasubramanian, S; Saravanan, M; Arivazhagan, C (25 December 2010). "Is diclofenac the only culprit for declining population of Gyps vultures in the Moyar Valley". Current Science. 99 (12): 1645–1646.
  28. ^ Oppilli, P (1 February 2016). "Drug ban gives vultures wings, improves diversity". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 21 March 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  29. ^ Aditi, R (21 September 2015). "Drug Ban to Help Vulture Numbers Soar". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  30. ^ "Project Tiger". Government of India. Archived from the original on 11 February 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  31. ^ "About Project Elephant". Government of India. Archived from the original on 14 November 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2016.
  32. ^ a b c d e f g Kedlaya, Ganashree (9 April 2013). "Sathyamangalam gets reserve tag". Deccan Herald. Archived from the original on 14 February 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  33. ^ "NTCA awaiting final approval for use of drones to monitor India's Tiger reserves". BGR. 2 February 2016. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  34. ^ "Human-elephant conflicts intensify in Sathyamangalam". The Hindu. 13 December 2012. Archived from the original on 27 December 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  35. ^ "23 elephant deaths reported in Erode district in 2011". NDTV. 24 December 2011. Archived from the original on 13 April 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  36. ^ "Right of Passage: Elephant Corridors of India". Sanctuary Asia. April 2011. Archived from the original on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  37. ^ "MM Hills CCC background", Community-based Conservation Centers, ATREE, archived from the original on 12 January 2011, retrieved 7 January 2011
  38. ^ "Tribal people await title deeds for land". The Hindu. 27 February 2016. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2016.
  39. ^ David, Stephen (26 November 2008). "Karnataka Police arrest Veerappan's wife". India Today. Living Media India Limited. Retrieved 7 January 2011.

External links