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• Tamil Nadu – National Parks
• Andaman and Nicobar Islands
• WildLife Sanctuary
• Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves
• Constitutional Provisions

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1. TAMIL NADU – NATIONAL PARKS

1) GUINDY NATIONAL PARK

• A very small national park (2.70 km2), located in Chennai.
• The park is an extension of the grounds surrounding Raj Bhavan, formerly known as the ‘Guindy Lodge‘ -the official residence of the Governor of TN.

2) MUDUMALAI NATIONAL PARK, WLS AND TIGER RESERVE

• It lies on the north-western side of the Nilgiri hills, Nilgiri district. It is located northwest of Coimbatore city in TN. It shares its boundaries with state of Karnataka (Bandipur) and Kerala (Wayanad WLS).
• It is part of the Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve
• The Mysore Ooty Highway runs through the park.
• Moyar river separates Bandipur and Madumalai. This river flows along the border of Kerala and TN.
• It is part of Nilgiri Biosphere reserves.

3) MUKURTHI NATIONAL PARK (EARLIER KNOWN AS NILGIRI TAHR NATIONAL PARK)

• It is a NP located in the western corner of the Nilgiri Plateau and north-western corner of TN.
• The Park was created to protect its key stone species Nilgiri Tahr.
  • Other important fauna of the park includes Tiger, Elephant etc.
  • Other threatened species of the park is Nilgiri Tahr, Nilgiri Marten, Nilgiri Langur etc.
• The park is characterized by montane grasslands and shrublandsinterspersed with Sholas in a high altitude area of high rainfall, near freezing temperature and high winds.
• Park is part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and as part of Western Ghats it is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Culture
  • Toda tribe of the region have harvested firewood from Shola and graze their hill buffaloes in the hill for centuries.

4) ANAMALAI TIGER RESERVE/ INDIRA GANDHI WLS AND NP

• Anamalai Tiger reserve, earlier known as Indira Gandhi WLS & NP is a protected area located in the Anaimal ai hills of Coimbatore districtand Tiruppur district of TamilNadu.
• Important Mammals
  • Bengal tiger, Indian Elephant, and Indian Leopard, Nilgiri Tahr and lion tailed macaque

5) GULF OF MANNAR NATIONAL PARK

• It is a NP which consists of 21 small islands and adjacent coral reefs in the Gulf of Mannar in the Indian Ocean.
• It is also the core area of Gulf of Mannar BR which also includes a 10 km buffer zone around the park, including the populated coastal area.

2. ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR ISLANDS

1) BASICS: UNDERSTANDING THE DISTRIBUTION OF ISLANDS IN A&N

• The mains Islands that come under the Andaman & Nicobar Islands are:
  • North Andaman, Middle Andaman, South Andaman, Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Little Nicobar, and Great Nicobar.
    • They are protruded parts of the oceanic fold mountains formed during tertiary epoch. Here are more than 350 islands of which only 38 are inhabited.
    • Port Blair – the capital of A&N Islands is situated in South Andaman.
    • The Indira Point, the southernmost point of India is the southern point of Great Nicobar Island.
    • The Barren Island which is India’s only active volcano is situated in the east of Middle Island.
    • Narcondam Island (situated in north eastern part of North Andaman) is a volcanic island.
    • 10 degree channel (10 degree N Latitude) separates Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
    • Duncan Pass is between South Andaman and Little Andaman.
    • Coco Strait – is between Coco Islands (Myanmar) and North Andaman.
    • Saddle Peak is the highest peak of A&N Islands (North Andaman, 738 m). It is followed by Mt. Thuiller (Great Nicobar, 642 m)

2) MAHATMA GANDHI MARINE NATIONAL PARK

• It is national park on Andaman Island. It belongs to southern Andaman administrative district.
• Two major island groups in the park: Labyrinth Island and the Twin Island.

3) MOUNT HARRIET NATIONAL PARK

• A national park in A&N islands
  • Mount Harriet (383 m / 1,257 ft) is part of the park and is the third highest peak in the A&N archipelago next to saddle peak (in North Andaman – 732 m) and Mount Thullier (568 m in Great Nicobar.
  • Important Faunal Species are Andaman Wild Pigs, Shrews (Andaman and Jenkins), Saltwater Crocodile, turtles etc.
  • The park is also a butterfly hotspot.

4) OTHER IMPORTANT NATIONAL PARKS OF A&N ISLANDS

• Campbell Bay National Park
• Galathea Bay National Park
• Rani Jhansi National Park
• Saddle Peak National Park

3. WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

• ­The Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972 provided for the declaration of certain areas by the state government as wildlife sanctuaries if the area was thought to be of adequate ecological, geomorphological and natural significance.
• There are more than 500 WLS in India. Out of these Tiger reserves are governed by Project Tiger.
• In some cases central government can also declare an area to be WLS.
• Human activities
  • Some restricted human activities are allowed in WLS as specified in the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972.

1) CHANGTHANG WLS

The Changthang WLS (or the Changthang Cold desert WLS) is a high altitude WLS located in the Ladakhi adjunct of the Changthang plateau in the Leh district of the Union territory of Ladakh.

It is one of the few places in India with a population of Kiang or Tibetan Wild Ass, as well as the rare, Black-necked crane.

India’s first night sky reserve is being developed here.

2) MAHARANA PRATAP SAGAR SANCTUARY

Introduction

• It is a lake sanctuary in the Kangra district of HP, spread over across 450 sq km.
• The sanctuary is locally known as Pong dam Lake and is located about 60 km southwest of Dharmshala.
• It is one of the 26 International Wetland sites declared in India by the Ramsar Convention.
• The reservoir is also leading source of fish in Himalayan states.
• Birds
  • The Lake is popular for the birds like Surkhabs, red necked grebes, terns etc.
  • Thousands of migratory ducks from Siberia come here every year.
• Animal
  • Barking deer, Sambar, wild boars, leopards and oriental small clawed otters.

3) NANDHAUR WLS

• ­About the WLS
  • The sanctuary is located near the Nandhaur river in Kumaon, UK and spread over an area of 269.5 sq km. It was created in 2012. The sanctuary is part of Terai Arc Landscape (TAL), a forest zone that stretches from Uttarakhand in India and extends in Nepal.
  • Flora
    • Primarily a Sal forest. Contain other 100 species of trees, over 30 species of shrubs etc. Shisham, Bamboo, Teak and Chir pine are important trees.
  • Fauna
    • Tiger, leopards, elephants, sloth bears etc.
  • Tiger Population in Nandhaur is increasing and so is the demand for declaring Nandhaur as a Tiger reserve

4) TAL CHAPPAR SANCTUARY

Location: Churu district of Northwestern Rajasthan in the Shekhawat Region.

Important Features:

• Known for Blackbucks and is also home to variety of birds.
• It has almost flat tract and interpersed shallow low-lying areas. It has open grassland with scattered Aracia and Proposis which gives it appearance of a typical Sawana.
• Tal: The rain water flows through shallow low lying areas and collect in small seasonal water ponds.
• Fauna: It is famous for blackbucks and is home to a variety of birds.

Updates (Dec 2022): The Sanctuary got protection from plan to reduce its size.

• The Rajasthan government had planned to reduce the size of ESZ around it.
• But, the Rajasthan High Court, has intervened through a suo motu PIL to protect the sanctuary. It took into cognizance of reports that its area was going to be reduced to three sq km under pressure from mine owners and stone crusher operator. The court ordered a “complete prohibition” on any action to reduce the WLS area.

5) MAHANANDA WLS

• It is situated in the foothills of Himalayas between the Tista and Mahananda River, in the Darjeeling district of WB.

6) POBITARO WLS

• Introduction :
  • It is located in Morigaon district of Assam, 30 km east of Guwhati.
  • It is known for dense population of the Great-Indian one-horned Rhino and is also called Mini-Kaziranga.
    • 102 rhinos in 16 km2. Pobitaro has the world’s densest population of one horned Rhino. The WLS has exceeded its Rhino bearing capacity.
    • Rhino Breeding program is running successfully within the sanctuary under the Indian Rhino Vision 2020.
  • It covers flat flood plains and a hillock (Raja Mayong).
• Boundaries
  • Its boundary is made by GrangaBeel on South and the river Brahmaputra on North.
• Biodiversity
  • One-horned Rhino, leopard, wild boar, Barking deer, wild buffaloes etc.
  • Home to 200 migratory birds and various reptiles.
  • It is also an Important Bird Area.

7) TALLEY VALLEY WLS

• Talley valley WLS is located in Arunachal Pradesh. It is also a biodiversity hotspot.
• Talley is a plateau with a height of 24,00 meters. It is covered with dense forest of silver fir, pine etc.
• Rivers like Pange, Sipu, Karing, and Subansiri flows through the reserved forest and WLS.

8) PAKKE TIGER RESERVE (PAKHUI TIGER RESERVE/WLS)

Pakke tiger reserve/ Pakhui Tiger reserve is located in Pakke Kasang district of Arunachal Pradesh.

It had won the India Biodiversity Award 2016 in the category of ‘Conservation of threatened species‘ for its Hornbill Nest Adoption Programme‘.

Rivers: It is bound by Kameng river in the west and Pakke river in the east.

Adjoining Protected Areas: The sanctuary adjoins Nameri National Park of Assam in the South. West of Kameng river lies Sessa Orchid Sanctuary and Eaglenest WLS.

• • Pakke Paga Hornfill Festival (PPHF)
    • 9th edition of the PPHF was held in Jan 2024 in the town of Seijosa in Arunachal Pradesh’s Pakke Kessang district. It gave a call for protection and conservation of hornbills.
    • Theme for 2024: ‘Domutoh Domutoh, Paga hum Domutoh, translates to ‘Let Our Hornbills Remain’ in Nyishi, emphasizing the critical need to preserve the iconic birds.
    • Note: Seijosa is located near the Pakke tiger reserve, which is home to four species of hornbills – Wreathed, Great Indian, Oriental Pied, and Rufous Necked.
      • The area is traditionally homeland to the Nyishi people, the largest tribal group of Arunachal Pradesh.
    • The first ever PPHF was held on Jan 16-18, 2015 with the aim to recognize the role played by the Nyishi in conserving the hornbills. The aim was to recognize the role played by the Nyishi in conserving hornbill in PTR.
      • Note: The Nyishi had formerly hunted hornbills and used their bills to craft traditional headgear. They had later turned into hornbill conservationists.
    • PPHF was declared a state festival by the then-Arunachal Pradesh CM Prem Khandu in 2019

9) DAMPA TIGER RESERVES

• It is the largest WLS in Mizoram and was notified in 1985. It was declared a tiger reserve in 1994.
• Location
  • It is situated in the western part of Mizoram state, at the international border with Bangladesh.
• Important Fauna
  • It is natural home of leopards, Indian Bison, barking deer, sloth bear, gibbons, langur, slow loris, etc.

10) NATIONAL CHAMBAL SANCTUARY (OR THE NATIONAL CHAMBAL GHARIAL WLS)

• About National Chambal Sanctuary
  • It is a tri-state protected area in northern India for the protection of the Gharial (CR), the Red Crowned Roof Turtle (CR) and Ganges River Dolphin (EN).
  • It is located on Chambal river on the tripoint of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
• It has sanctuary status under the WPA, 1972.
• All three states have separately notified this for territories in their states.
• Declaration of area around the Chambal Sanctuary as Eco-sensitive zone (March 2020)
  • Central government has notified an area to an extent of zero to two kms around the sanctuary as Eco-Sensitive Zone.

11) HAZARIBAGH WLS

• In Jharkhand
• Biodiversity
  • The sanctuary and its fringe forests have more than 400 deer, mainly the large sambar and the Spritely and spotted Chital species that are protected under Wild Life Law.
  • The sanctuary is also home to Hyenas, sloth bears, black bears, Nilgai, several types of monkeys, snakes and 180 species of birds.

12) SATKOSIA TIGER RESERVE

• About Satkosia Tiger Reserve
  • It is a tiger reserve located in the Angul district of Orissa, India covering an area of 988 km2.
  • Satkosia Gorge WLS was created in 1976 with an area of 796 km2.
  • Satkosia Tiger Reserve was designated in 2007, and comprise the Satkosia WLS and the adjacent Baisipalli Wildlife Sanctuary.
• River
  • It’s located where the Mahanadi River passes through a 22 km long gorge in the Eastern Ghats mountains.
• Forest type
  • Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests ecoregion. The major plant community includes mixed deciduous forests including Sal and Riverine Forest.

13) NALABANDA BIRD SANCTUARY

• About Nalabanda Bird Sanctuary
  • The Nalabanda island is part of the Chilika Lake, India’s largest brackish water lagoon. The island gets partially submerged during Monsoon. As the monsoon recedes in winter, water levels decrease, and the island is gradually exposed.
• Birds flock to the island in large numbers to feed on its extensive mudflats. It is the largest wintering ground for migratory waterfowl found anywhere on the Indian sub-continent.
• Some rare and endangered species listed in the IUCN Red List inhabit the lagoon for at least part of their life cycle.
• It was declared a bird sanctuary in 1973 under the Wildlife Protection Act.
• It is also core of the Ramasar designated wetlands of Chilika lake.
• About Chilika Lake:
  • It is the largest brackish water lake and largest wintering ground for birds in India.
  • As per the bird status survey-2022 conducted in the Chilika, a total of 10,74,173 birds of the 107 water bird species and 37,953 individuals of 76 wetland dependent species were counted in the entire lagoon.
  • Last year, the count in Chilika was over 12 lakhs.
  • Who conducted the census: Chilika Development Authority and BNHS.
  • Chilika lake is the largest wintering ground in Indian subcontinent.

14) THANE CREEK FLAMINGO SANCTUARY

• In 2015, Thane Creek was declared as Flamingo Sanctuary by the Maharashtra government under Section 18 of the WPA 1972.
  • It was Maharashtra’s second marine sanctuary after Malvan Sanctuary (Sindhudurg district).
  • By November, about 30,000 birds come to this sanctuary, 90% are lesser flamingos. They stay here till May, then migrate to Kutch in Gujarat.
  • Other bird specie
    • About 200, including the globally threatened species like the Greater Spotted Eagle (VU)

15) MHADEI WLS

• Why in news?
  • The Goa bench of Bombay High Court has directed Goal government to notify the Mhadei WLS and other areas, referred to in National Tiger Conservation Authority communications and plans prepared by the Goa forest department, as a tiger reserve under the WPA within three months (July 2023: Source – IE)
  • It also said that the state government should take all the steps to prepare a tiger conservation plan and forward it to the NTCA within three months of notifying the reserve.

About Mhadei WLS:

It is a protected area in the Indian state of Goa in Western Ghats. It is located in North Goa district.

The sanctuary is an area of high biodiversity, and is being considered to become a Project Tiger’s tiger reserve because of the presence of Bengal Tiger.

The NTCA has suggested on multiple occasions that a tiger reserve be carved out from the uninhabited core zone s of Goa’s protected area and has requested the state to speed up the process of notifying the Mhadei sanctuary and certain contiguous areas as a tiger reserve.

16) BHADRA WLS (TIGER RESERVE)

• It is a protected area and a tiger reserve as part of Project Tiger. It is located in Chikkamangaluru town in Kar.

17) BUKKAPATNA CHINKARA WLS

• Bukkapatna Chinkara WLS was notified recently in 2019 only. The proposal was approved by the State Board of Wildlife.
• More Details
  • Bukkapatna happens to be only the second protected habitat for the rare antelope in the state after Yedehalli in Bagalkot district.
  • Bukkapatna is larger than Yedehalli and it will also be the southernmost tip of the distribution range of Chinkara in India.

18) DANDELI WLS

• It is in Uttara kannada district of Karnataka and covers an area of 866.14 Km2.

19) RANGANATHITTU BIRD SANCTUARY (PAKSHI KASHI OF KARNATAKA)

• About Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary
  • Ranganathittu Bird Sanctuary, also known as Pakshi Kashi of Karnataka, is a bird sanctuary located in Mandya district of Karnataka. It is located only 3 km away from the historic town of Srirangapatna.
• Geography
  • It is the largest bird sanctuary in the state (about 40 acres in area) and comprises of six islets on the banks of Kaveri river.
• Bird Species
  • The park is known for roughly 170 bird species including painted stork, Asian openbill stork, common spoonbill, Woolly necked stork, black headed ibis, lesser whistling duck etc.

20) THATTEKAD BIRD WLS

• About Thattekad WLS
  • The Thattekad bird Sanctuary, with an area of 25 km2 is a small bird sanctuary, located in Kothamangalam, Kerala.
  • It was the first bird sanctuary of Kerala and has been described by Salim Ali (one of the best known ornithologist of India) as the richest bird habitat on peninsular India.
  • It is an evergreen low-land forest located between the branches of Periyar River, the longest river in Kerala.

Key Species

• The bird sanctuary is known for Sri Lankan Frogmouth and other bird endemic to the region. There are 330 bird species in the region, 300 of them endemic to the area.
• The important bird species include Orange headed thrush, large billed leaf barber, Jerdon’s nightjar, Oriental Darter, Yellow browed bulbuls etc.

21) CAUVERY WLS

• Location
  • The Cauvery WLS is a protected area located in the Mandya, Chamaraja and Ramanagaram districts of Karnataka, India.
• Physical features
  • Largest Protected area in Karnataka. The sanctuary, is spread over more than 1000 km2. It’s northern and southern boundary limited by Cauvery river, which drains from west to east.
  • It’s eastern and north eastern borders are bounded by the TN state.
  • Cauvery river flows through it for a distance of 101 kilo meters
• Biodiversity
  • Flora
    • The dominant species of trees found in the sanctuary are Terminalia arjuna and jambul.
  • Fauna
    • Elephants, wild boar, leopard, dhole, spotted dear, barking deer, sambar, four horned antelope, black naped hare, Malabar giant squirrel, Grizzled giant squirrel which is under the highly endangered category in the state, smooth coated otter.
    • Reptiles
      • Mugger crocodile, Indian mud turtle, Indian Rock Python, Cobra, Russel’s viper etc.
  • Birds
    • The sanctuary is listed as an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International.
    • CR species of White rumped vulture and Indian vulture are found here.

22) WAYANAD WLS

• Intro:
  • It is an animal sanctuary in Wayanad Kerala, India.
  • It is an extent of 344.44 km2 with four ranges namely Sulthan Bathery, Muthunga, Kurichiat and Tholpetty.
  • Second largest WLS in Kerala.
  • It is now an integral part of Niligiri BR.
    • It is bounded by protected area network of Nagarhole and Bandipur in Karnataka in the north-east, and on the South-east by the Madumalai of Tamil Nadu.
  • Note: The sanctuary is separated into two disconnected parts known as the North Wayanad WLS and South Wayanad WLS. The area in betweenthetwopartswasoriginallya forest region,isnowoccupied majorly by plantation.
• Wayanad WLS becomes a migratory destination for animals from other NP and WLS in the region due to availability of water & fodder in the sanctuary.
  • Mammals such as gaurs migrate to sanctuary from the adjacent Bandipur and Nagarhole national parks in Karnataka and the Mudumalai NP in TN.
• Proposal of Wayanad WLS as Tiger Reserve:
  • The attempt of the Kerala forest department to push forward a proposal for notifying the sanctuary as the third tiger reserve in the state was rejected by the State Wildlife Advisory Board on account of the public resistance against the proposal.
  • Arguments supporting the Tiger Reserve Status:
    • Highest number of tigers in the state
    • Tiger reserve status will ensure better financial aid from the Centre and the NTCA which will also lead to better conservation and management of the tiger population and help generate more employment opportunities.
  • Why the board rejected the demand?
    • Public Protests: Cattle lifting by the ailing tigers and their straying into human habitats had often triggered widespread public protests in the district.
    • Restriction on development activities which will be brought by the notification have also become an issue.

23) IDUKKI WILD LIFE SANCTUARY

This sanctuary extends over the Thodupuzha and Udumpanchola taluks of Idukki district spreading over 105 Sq. Km. at 450 – 748m above sea level.

• • The Idukki reservoir formed by three dams-Cheruthoni, Idukki and Kulamavu-extends to 33 sq km.
• Common Animals
  • Elephants, Porcupine, Sambar Deer, Wild Dogs, Jungle Cats, Malabar Giant Squirrel, Wild boar etc.
• Common Birds
  • Jungle fowl, Myna, Laughing thrush, Black bulbul, Peafowl, Woodpecker, Kingfisher etc.

24) CHINNAR WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

• Location: It is located 18 km north of Marayoor on SH 17, in the Idukki district of Kerala.
• It is under the jurisdiction of and contiguous with Eravikulam National Park to the South.
• Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary is to the north and Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary is to the east.
• Roads crossing: The Munnar – Udumalpet road SH 17 passes through the sanctuary for 16 km and divides it into nearly equal parts.
• Rivers: Chinnar and Pambar rivers are the major perennial water resource in the sanctuary.
• Settlements and crops:
  • 11 tribal settlements inside the Chinnar WLS, each is well demarcated by temporary stone walls
  • The main inhabitants are Muthuvas and Pulayars.
  • Cultivation of Maize, ragi and lemongrass is carried out
  • Madhuvas carry out small scale ganza cultivation for their religious purposes.

25) SATHYAMANGALAM WLS (SATHYAMANGALAM TIGER RESERVE (STR))

• The core or critical tiger habitat in STR is 793.49 sq. km while the buffer or peripheral area is 614.91 sq km. It has a significant population of tiger, elephant, leopards, black buck, gaur, four horned antelope striped hyena, birds, reptiles, amphibians etc.
• It is the largest protected area of TN. It is in the eastern ghats in the Erode district of TN.
  • It acts as gateway to eastern ghats and acts as a significant ecosystem and a wildlife corridor in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve between Western Ghats and rest of the Eastern Ghats.
• Also, there are 9 tribal settlements and 18 tribal revenue settlements in STR which are not part of the tiger reserve.

26) SRIVILLIPUTHUR WLS AND MEGAMALAI WLS

• Why in news?
  • In Feb 2021, the Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve (SMTR), was jointly declared by the Central Government and Tamil Nadu Government.
• Details
  • The new tiger reserve (SMTR) is spread over 1016.57 sq km and it has been formed by clubbing Srivilliputhur WLS and Megamalai WLS.
  • Now, they would be eligible for funds from National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
• Note:
  • Megamalai region acts as a catchment for Vaigai river.
    • Vaigai river had faced a lot of problems in the past and it was revived when the water from Periyar river was brought to it after formation of the Periyar dam. Today, Vaigai gets around 80% of its water from Periyar dam. The remaining 20% is got from the watershed of the Megamalai region during the north-eastern Monsoon season.

27) POINT CALIMERE WILDLIFE AND BIRD SANCTUARY

• About Point Calimere WBS
• Geography
  • It is a WLS located in Nagapattinam district of TN and is spread across an area of 30 sq m.
  • It comprises of sandy coastal, saline swamps, backwaters, and thorn scrub forests around the backwater.
  • It is located along the Palk Strait where it meets the Bay of Bengal at point Calimere at the south-eastern tip of Nagapattinam.
• It is also a Ramsar wetland site.
• Important Fauna
  • Black buck (now LC) is the flagship specie of the WLS.
  • It is also famous for large congregation of waterbirds, especially greater flamingo (LC).
• Key Problems faced by the Sanctuary
  • Pollution from surrounding chemical companies.
    • PH and salinity of water have exceeded the permissible levels.
  • Ecological disturbance by fish farmers
  • Climate change has led to an increase in temperature which is negatively affecting the eggs during the pre-incubation period. The higher temperatures are providing better growth conditions for micro-organisms around eggs.
  • There are also high chances of antibiotic resistance among the coliform bacteria.
• Decrease in number of migratory birds to the WLS
  • From thousands of birds in the past, now, the numbers have gone down to a few hundred. The birds have started to avoid the sanctuary.

28) KALAKAD WLS AND MUNDANTHURAI WLS

• ­These were both established in 1962.
• In 1988, Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve was created by combining the two sanctuaries.
  • It is located in the Southern Western Ghats in Tirunelveli district and Kanyakumari district in the southern state of TN.
  • It is the second largest protected area in TN (after the Sathyamangalam WLS) in Erode district.
  • It is part of the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve.
  • It is also India’s southernmost tiger reserve.
• The area acts as catchment of Thamiraparani river.

4. CONSERVATION RESERVES AND COMMUNITY RESERVES

• Conservation reserve and community reserves are the outcome of amendment to WPA in 2003.
• They are protected areas, which typically act as buffer zones or connectors and migration corridors to established NPs, WLS, and reserved and protected forests.
• It also provides mechanism to provide recognition and legal backing to the community initiated efforts in wildlife protection.
  • It provides for flexible methods wherein wildlife conservation is achieved without compromising the community needs.

1) CONSERVATION RESERVES

• The area is owned by state government.
• Managed by Conservation Reserve Management Committee.
• Who declares an area as conservation reserve?
  • State government may, after having consultations with the local communities, declare any area owned by the government as conservation reserve.
• When area is marked as conservation reserve, it becomes mandatory for any development projects to get approval of the National Board for Wildlife, and State Board of Wildlife.

A) TIRUPPADAIMARATHUR CONSERVATION RESERVE

• It was the first conservation reserve established in India.
• It is an IUCN Category V protected bird nesting area in the 2.84 hectares (7.0 hectares) compound of Siva temple, in Tiruppadaimarathur village, Tirunelveli District, TN.
• On Feb 14, 2005 it became the first conservation reserve established in India.
• The reserve is 10 kms from Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.

Over 400 little egrets, pond heron, and near threatened painted stork nest in the grove of 20 huge, century old marutha, mahwa, neem and illuppai trees and feed in many agricultural fields, a few ponds and the Tamiraparani River adjacent to it

B) THREE NEW WILDLIFE CONSERVATION RESERVES IN RAJASTHAN (APRIL 2023)

• Sorsan in Baran, Khichan in Jodhpur, and Hamirgarh in Bhilwara
• Sorsan in Baran:
  • The grasslands of Sorsan in Baran is a safe home for the Great Indian Bustard, Blackbucks (the state animal of Rajasthan).
• Khichan in Jodhpur:

It hosts thousands of migratory Demoiselle cranes. It will be safe home for these birds and will be the first conservation reserve in India for Demoiselle cranes.

• IUCN: LC – With these three additions, there are 26 wildlife conservation reserves in Rajasthan.

2) COMMUNITY RESERVE

• The state government may notify any community land or private land as a community Reserve, provided that the members of the community or individual concerned are agreeable to offer such areas for protecting fauna and flora, as well as their traditions, cultures and practices.
• The reserve is managed through Community Reserve Management Committee.
• No change in the land use pattern shall be made within the community reserve, except in accordance with a resolution passed by the management committee and approval of the same by state government.

A) SINGCHUNG BUGUN VILLAGE COMMUNITY RESERVE

• Why in news?
  • Arunachal Pradesh showcased its Singchung Bugun Village Community Reserve, a 17 sq km biodiversity hotspot during the Republic Day parade (Jan 2024)
• Location: ThevillageislocatedinWest Kamengdistrict orArunachalPradesh and is located about 130 km from Tejpur in Assam. It lies adjacent to Eaglenest reserve.
• What was the need of creating a community reserve?
  • Environmentalists and forest department realized that area outside the eagle nest sanctuary was equally diverse and needed protection. This followed multiple rounds of discussions with the villagers over the years to explain what community reserve would mean and most importantly they would retain the land rights. In case the villagers needed to use some of the land for cultivation, they could get it de-reserved through the management committee.
  • Finally the villagers were convinced and they decided to make 17 sq. km of their land into community reserve. The community reserve came into being in 2017 when the state government approved it.
• In the short time since, the reserve has won the India Biodiversity Award given jointly by the Centre and the UNDP.
• Reserve has also become a model, with new batches of IFS officers visiting Singchung every year to understand how the reserve was created.
• Note: The Buguns are an indigenous community with a population of about 2,000 people, spread across 12 villages that are dotted outside the forests of Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary.

B) GOGABEEL COMMUNITY RESERVE AND CONSERVATION RESERVE

• Notified by State of Bihar in Aug 2019.
• About Gogabeel:
  • It is an ox-bow lake in Bihar’s Katihar district. It is formed from the flow of rivers Mahananda and Kankhar in the north and the Ganga in the South and east. It is a permanent water body though it shrinks to some extent in the summer but never dries up.
  • It is the 15th protected area (PA) in Bihar.
  • It is an important Bird Area. More than 90 bird species have been recorded from this site, of which, about 30 are migratory.
    • Among the threatened species, the Lesser Adjutant Stork is listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN while the Black Necked Stork, White Ibis and White-eyed Pochard are ‘Near Threatened’.
  • The water body was notified as a 57 hectare Community Reserve and a 30 Hectare ‘Conservation Reserve’. It is Bihar’s first community reserve.
  • It is a big win for conservationists who had been trying for long to convince both local residents as well as the authorities to declare the important birding site as a Protected Area

C) TILLARI CONSERVATION RESERVE

• In June 2020, the Maharashtra government declared the Tillari Forest Area in the Dodamarg and Sawantwadi range in the coastal Sindhudurg district as a Conservation reserve area.
  • The reserve covers 9 villages in the forest range and is known to serve as a corridor and even as a habitat for the population of tigers and elephants moving between the three states of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra.
• Tillari is the 7th Corridor in Maharashtra which has been declared as a ‘Conservation Reserve’.
• Note:
  • The 38 km-long Dodamarg wildlife corridor connects Radhanagri WLS in MHA to Bhimgad WLS in Karnataka. This corridor frequently witnesses elephant and tiger movement.

5. CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS

There are few provisions in Indian constitution which directly or indirectly call for biodiversity conservation.

• Article 21 (Right to Life and Personal Liberty)
  • The Supreme Court on many occasion has interpreted this fundamental right to encompass within its ambit the protection and preservation of environment.
• Article 48A directs the state to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard forests and wildlife (Article 48A)
  • This was added by 42nd Constitutional amendment in 1976.
• Article 51A(g) makes it a duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures