Agasthyamalai Elephant Reserve became 5th Elephant Reserve in Tamil NaduThe government of Tamil Nadu notified Agasthyamalai Elephant Reserve as its 5th Elephant Reserve with a total area of 1,19,748.26 hectares at Agasthyamalai in Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari district on the occasion of World Elephant Day 2022 (12 August). Elephants play a critical role in balancing forest ecosystems.
- The KMTR (Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve) field director will be the field coordinator of the new elephant reserve.
Note-
In 2018, the 30th Singphan ER was notified in Nagaland.
About Agasthyamalai Elephant Reserve (ER):
i.On July 13, 2022 The Government of India (GoI) conveyed its consent for the creation of the 31st elephant reserve in Tamil Nadu for the purpose of elephant conservation.
ii.The new elephant reserve will ensure the conservation of the rich elephant habitats in the area and also enrich the health and connectivity of the elephant migratory paths in the landscape through proper research and effective management.
iii.According to the notification, the forest areas of Kalakkad 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.
Additional information:
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (EF&CC) Bhupender Yadav, announced the notification of one more elephant reserve (ER) in Tamil Nadu during a programme in the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala on August 12, 2022.
Elephants in India:
i.It is included in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES).
ii.The Indian elephant is found in 16 states in the country and is showing an increasing trend across its distributional range. The population of the animals had become critically low in 1992.
iii.According to the elephant census conducted in 2017, the population of elephants in India has reached up to about 27,312.
- According to the 2017 census, Karnataka has the highest number of elephants (6,049), followed by Assam (5,719) and Kerala (3,054)
Wednesday, August 17, 2022