5th elephant reserve in Agasthyamalai landscape announced by Tamil Nadu

The proposal to designate 1,197.48 sq.km in Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli as the Agasthiyarmalai Elephant Reserve was approved by the Union Environment Ministry. Tamil Nadu will oversee this Agasthiyarmalai Elephant Reserve, which is the fifth elephant reserve. The forest department may be eligible for additional financing through the centrally sponsored Project Elephant after notifying the Agasthiyarmalai Elephant Reserve.

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Agasthiyarmalai Elephant Reserve: Key Points:

• Agasthiyarmalai Elephant Reserve status will put more of an emphasis on protecting and conserving elephants as indicator animals that indicate a healthy ecosystem, even when the area is already protected as a reserve forest or wildlife sanctuary.
• Identification of elephant corridors will allow for the adoption of improved management techniques.
• Asian elephant numbers in the Periyar-Agasthyamalai landscape are estimated to be 1,800 (Census 2010).
• About 300 of them are found alone on the southern side in the Agasthiyarmalai Elephant Reserve and Mahendragiri hill ranges in the Neyyar, Shendurney, and Peppara Wildlife Sanctuaries and Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, all located in Thiruvananthapuram Forest Division.

Agasthiyarmalai Elephant Reserve: Demography:

The Periyar-Agasthyamalai region, which spans 5,600 sq km and 16 forest divisions in Tamil Nadu and Kerala, is home to the elephant population to the south of this. The southern portion of the Periyar Plateau and its eastern spur, the Varushnad and Meghamalai hill ranges, the Achankoil valley, and the Agasthiyarmalai Elephant Reserve and Mahendragiri hill ranges on the southern side make up the elephant habitat in the landscape.

Notifying Agasthiyarmalai Elephant Reserve area as an elephant reserve will result in more focused management of this area, secure the corridors that are crucial for Asian elephant genetic dispersion in this area, and connect the populations to other areas in the Srivilliputhur Meghamalai tiger reserve and with the Periyar landscapes.

Agasthiyarmalai Elephant Reserve: Important Takeaways For All Competitive Exams:

• Union Environment Minister, GoI: Bhupender Yadav

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