What’s the news?

• The Tamil Nadu government has declared an area in the reserve forests of Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri as the Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary. It is the 17th Wildlife sanctuary of Tamil Nadu.
• The declaration of Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary to include 686.406 Sq.Km of Reserve Forests in Anchetty, Urigam and Jawalagiri ranges of the Hosur Forest Division that comprises forest stretches of Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts, has been made under Section 26A(1) (b) of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. 

What are the major advantages of declaring a Sanctuary

• Legal status and Protection

• The declaration will give uniform legal status and protection to a contiguous network of protected areas that would stretch to over 50 km.
•  The declared landscape lends continuity to the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve through the Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary, Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve of Karnataka and the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve and Erode Forest Division of Tamil Nadu. 

• Habitat conservation

• According to the notification, the landscape now declared as the Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary is an important elephant habitat comprising of two elephant corridors: 

1. i) the Nandimangalam-Ulibanda Corridor and 
2. ii) the Kovai Palam-Anebiddahalla Corridor. 

• • The ecosystem of the Cauvery basin is also critical to a large number of riverine species dependent on River Cauvery. 

• Eg: Grizzled giant squirrel, four-horned antelope, and Lesser Fish Eagle.

• The sanctuary’s rich biodiversity supports over 35 species of mammals and 238 species of birds such as Leith’s softshell turtles, smooth coated otters, marsh crocodile and four horned antelopes. These are also red-listed and in urgent need for focused conservation and protection of their habitat.

Tiger Conservation

• The Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary is also seeing spill-over effects of tiger conservation in the adjacent contiguous areas, and habitat improvement will help recover prey bases and support tigers that once inhabited this landscape in the past.

reference:

• https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/tn-notifies-680-sq-km-of-reserve-forest-as-cauvery-south-wildlife-sanctuary/article66110363.ece
• https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/chennai/tamil-nadu-notifies-cauvery-south-wildlife-sanctuary-as-states-17th-wildlife-sanctuary-8257478/