Chennai : The Tamil Nadu government has declared a new reserve forest in the Bargur Hills in Erode district.
The Nilgiris Biosphere Reserve and the Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary are connected by a section of the reserve forest known as the “Thanthai Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.” This wildlife sanctuary, which occupies 80,114.80 hectares, has been designated as Tamil Nadu’s 18th wildlife sanctuary.
There are six tribal habitations and the roads that connect them, but the sanctuary includes the forest areas covering North Bargur (47,323.50 hectares), South Bargur (24,736.80), Thamaraikarai (3,037.37), South Bargur Part 844 (2,521.28), Ennamangalam (2,269.37), and the Nagalur reserve forest area (226.48 hectares).
Recall that the establishment of the sanctuary was initially announced by the Tamil Nadu government in the state budget for 2023.
According to a notice dated January 30, 2024, the Department of Environment, Climate Change, and Forests stated that these forests are located in the Eastern Ghats, where they meet the Western Ghats at the Nilgiris.
The newly declared sanctuary’s expansive terrain is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, making it the perfect home for a wide range of living things.
One of the most varied ecosystems in the area is produced by the landscape’s connections to the Kollegal forests of Karnataka and the Nilgiris.
The 18th wildlife sanctuary of the state is part of the corridor that connects the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) to the Male Mahadeshwara Hills Tiger Reserve and the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. This stretch plays a crucial role in maintaining a viable tiger population and is one of the tiger corridors identified by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
There is a healthy population of large herbivores, such as elephants and Indian gaur, in the area that is home to the Thanthai Periyar Wild Life Sanctuary. This area is also a part of the Nilgiris Elephant Reserve.
This terrain serves as the Palar River’s catchment area, which empties into the Cauvery River and is an essential supply of water for farming.
For tribal and local communities, who rely on these ecosystems for their traditional practices and means of subsistence, it also has historical and cultural significance.
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