The State government has
notified the formation of a new wildlife sanctuary in Kodaikanal. It will be
the State’s 12th sanctuary. A government order said it had accepted the
proposal of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife
Warden for declaration of Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary under Section 26 A1(b)
of Wildlife (Protection) Act , 1972.
The other sanctuaries are:
(i)
Mudumalai
Wildlife Sanctuary (The Nilgiris Dt)
(ii)
Indira
Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary (Pollachi, Coimbatore
Dt)
(iii)
Mundanthurai
Sanctuary (Tirunelveli Dt)
(iv)
Kalakkad
Sanctuary (Tirunelveli Dt)
(v)
Srivilliputhur
Grizzled Giant Squirrel Sanctuary (Srivilliputhur, Virudhunagar Dt)
(vi)
Point
Calimere Sanctuary (Vedaranyam, Nagapattinam Dt)
(vii)
Vallanadu
Blackbuck Sanctuary (Tirunelveli Dt)
(viii) Kanyakumari Wildlife
Sanctuary (Kanyakumari Dt)
(ix)
Sathyamangalam
Wildlife Sanctuary (Erode Dt)
(x)
Megamalai
Wildlife Sanctuary (Theni Dt) and
(xi)
Point
Calimere Block A and B Sanctuary(Vedaranyam, Nagapattinam Dt)
The new sanctuary would be
formed with forest areas from Dindigul and Theni districts. The total area of the new
sanctuary in Kodaikanal would be 60,895.482 hectares, which would be an extent
of 608.95 sqkm.
At present the Kodaikanal Forest division has seven ranges –
Kodaikanal, Perumballam, Devadhanapatti, Poombarai, Berijam, Mannavanur and
Vandharavu. Additionally one more range from Palani will be added to the
sanctuary.
Kudhiraiyar, Oliyanuthu,
Poombarai, Vilpatty, Velancombai, Andipatti Reserved forests in Palani Taluk;
Gundar Valley, Ampth hill Down, Kookal, Poombarai, Shengalvarayar,
Karungalthonimedu, Amburuvi, Kilanavayal, Samikanal Reserved Forests in
Kodaikanal taluk; Unjalanchi, Palani Hills Southern Slope East, Mulaiyar,
Pambar, Perumal Malai, Arunkanal, Adukkam, Maruthanadiyar, Kaduguthadi and
Murugamalai Reserved Forests in both Kodaikanal and Periakulam taluks would be
added to form the new sanctuary, the officials said.
The Kodaikanal
Forest division boasts of
all types of forests in its ranges. This included semi-evergreen forests, south
Indian moist deciduous forests, Southern dry mixed deciduous forests, southern
Montane wetgrasslands and tropical evergreen forests.
A senior Forest
officer said with the government declaring Kodaikanal as a wildlife sanctuary,
the protected area would increase. All the Special Acts are applicable to the
newly formed sanctuary. Similarly, it will improve the legal status for the
Kodaikanal forest division, the officer said.
With the formation of a new
sanctuary, the authorities could obtain funds from the Centre directly. Funds
from Sanctuary Support Scheme could also be obtained. At present a total of 165
posts including the District Forest Officer, Rangers, Foresters, Guards,
Watchers and Anti-Poaching Watchers were working in the Kodaikanal forest
division.
Elephants, barking deer,
Indian Gaur, sambar, common langur, wild dogs, leopard and sloth bear, were
some of the wildlife one could see in the Kodaikanal Forest
division. Welcoming the declaration of the new sanctuary, members of the Palani
Hills Conservation Council (PHCC) said the Council first sent a proposal in
1994 to the government to declare the area as a sanctuary, which was about
1,046 sqkm. The government had declared only 608 sqkm of forest area as sanctuary.
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