Tamil Nadu Notifies Three Elephant Corridors in Hosur Forest Division

Tamil Nadu has notified three elephant corridors within the Hosur forest division that includes more than 10,300 hectares as an initiative towards safeguarding critical elephant routes connecting Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. These corridors are situated in the Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary and adjoining reserved forests. The decision is taken keeping in mind the guidelines set by the Madras High Court and also recommendations of committees established to identify elephant corridors and bottlenecks.

Three Corridors with More than 10,300 hectares

Tamil Nadu government has designated Jawalagiri-Ulibanda-Thaggatti, Jawalagiri-Panai-Anchetty, and Billikkal Jawalagiri corridors as elephant corridors.

Jawalagiri-Panai-Anchetty corridor is the longest one which is spread over an area of 6,881.47 hectares with a length of 20.90 km.

Jawalagiri-Ulibanda-Thaggatti corridor is 18.50 km long which includes an area of 3,241.53 hectares. The Billikkal Jawalagiri corridor on the other hand is 2.20 km long covering an area of 196 hectares.

Why are These Elephant Corridors Significant?

The elephants do not confine themselves to one forest habitat. Their mobility may depend upon the monsoon pattern, availability of food sources, and habitat requirements. The elephants in the Hosur area frequently migrate across the border that runs between the two states – Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

It becomes imperative, therefore, to keep these forest connections intact in order to allow the free movement of elephants in these landscapes without any obstacles. Fragmentation of these forest connections may lead to an increased incidence of man-animal conflict and disruption of the movement pattern.

What Does the Notification Mean?

The report of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden indicates the significance of these three corridors in the migratory pattern of the elephants.

Does this Change Anything about the Legal Status of the land?

All the three corridors existed in protected areas or reserve forests.

The notification does not alter the existing legal status of the land and does not impose any new restrictions on the people, because all the corridors exist within the protected forest and wildlife areas.

What was the cause behind this notification?

It was after receiving the interim directions from the Madras High Court and the suggestions by the committees formed to ascertain the elephant corridors that the government made this notification.

This notification will be published in the Government Gazette of Tamil Nadu and the gazette of Krishnagiri district, listing the three elephant corridors.