KOCHI: The Elephant Task Force has recommended the acquisition of defunct estates in the heart of the elephant habitat in the Periyar-Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR) for the conservation and protection of the elephant population.
The task force, which has Mahesh Rangarajan, Ajay Desai, R. Sukumar, P.S. Easa, Vivek Menon, S. Vincent, Suparna Ganguly, B.K. Talukdar, Brijendra Singh, Divya Mudappa, Sushant Chowdhary and A.N. Prasad as members, had recently submitted its report to the Union Ministry for Environment and Forest.
Suggestions
The panel in its report ‘securing the future for elephants in India' also suggested establishing Kulathupuzha Conservation Reserve and Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary as part of the protection measures.
It also recommended connecting the elephant population of the Agasthyamalai hills and Periyar through the Kottavasal corridor.
The Nilambur- Silent Valley- Coimbatore elephant population is connected to the Nilgiris through the high altitude mountainous portions of the Silent Valley and Mukurthi national parks.
The Mukurthi- Mudumalai corridor, the most important connectivity, includes the forests of the Naduvattam range (Nilgiri South Forest Division) and the Gudalur forest range (Gudalur Forest Division).
It is also distributed within the forests of the Nilambur South and North divisions, Mannarkad Division and the Silent Valley National Park.
Though a large stretch of forest is found in the area, a portion is subjected to forestry operations, cash crop cultivation and pressures from the surrounding human habitations. There are a few corridors through which elephants move either throughout the year or in certain seasons.
Maintenance of these corridors through appropriate measures, relocation of select private holdings and stringent protection measures will ensure long-term survival of this population, it is suggested.
The Periyar- Srivilliputhur elephant population is spread over Kerala and a small portion of Tamil Nadu. The Periyar Tiger Reserve with the adjoining Ranni, Konni, Achankovil, Punalur and parts of Thenmala forest divisions form the elephant habitats in Kerala where as portions of the Theni, Madurai and Tirunelveli forest divisions and the Meghamala Wildlife Sanctuary and the Srivilliputhur Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary form the habitat in Tamil Nadu.A vast stretch of evergreen forests is the uniqueness of the area. The dry deciduous forest along the eastern slopes of this landscape is also crucial for the long-term conservation of elephants, the panel said.
Source: The Hindu,13-9-2010
No comments:
Post a Comment