| Periyar National Park | |
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  Periyar NP Location in Kerala Show map of Kerala Periyar NP Periyar NP (India) Show map of India | |
 Interactive map of Periyar National Park | |
| Location | Idukki andPathanamthitta,Kerala state,India |
| Nearest city | Kottayam,Kochi |
| Coordinates | 9°34′39″N77°10′48″E / 9.5775°N 77.1800°E /9.5775; 77.1800 |
| Area | 350.54 km2 (135.34 sq mi) |
| Established | 1934-1950 (as Nellikkaampetty Game Sanctuary), 1950-present (as Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary) |
| Visitors | 754,306 (in 2016) |
| Governing body | Govt of India &Department of Forests and Wildlife (Kerala) Field Director: Sri. Georgi P Mathechan |
Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (PNP) is aprotected area located in the districts ofIdukki andPathanamthitta inKerala,India. It is a renownedelephant andtiger reserve. The protected area encompasses 925 km2 (357 sq mi), of which 350.54 km2 (135.34 sq mi)[1] of the main zone was declared as the Periyar National Park in 1982. The park is a repository of rare,endemic, and endangered flora and fauna and forms the major watershed of two important rivers of Kerala: thePeriyar and thePamba.
The park is located high in theCardamom Hills andPandalam Hills of the southWestern Ghats along the border withTamil Nadu. It is 4 km (2.5 mi) fromKumily,Thekkady, 86 km (53 mi) south east ofThodupuzha, 103 km (64 mi) east ofKottayam, 110 km (68 mi) west ofMadurai and 147 km (91 mi) southeast ofKochi.[2]
The first official action towards the conservation of wildlife and biodiversity in Kerala was taken in 1934 by theMaharaja ofTravancore,Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, by declaring the forests around Periyar lake as aprivate reserve to stop the encroachment of tea plantations. It was founded as Nellikkampatty Reserve. It was consolidated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1950 after the political integration of India. The sanctuary was included in Project Tiger, a Central Government initiative, and was renamed the Periyar Tiger Reserve in 1978.[3]
Periyar National Park lies in the middle of a mountainous area of theCardamom Hills. In the north, the boundary commences from the point nearest to the Medaganam in the interstate boundary up to Vellimalai. To the east the boundary follows the inter-state boundary from Vellimalai to Kallimalai Peak[4] (1615 m) it is bounded by mountain ridges of over 1,700 m (5,600 ft) altitude. Toward the west it expands into a 1,200 m (3,900 ft) highplateau. From this level the altitude drops steeply to the deepest point of the reserve, the 100 metre valley of thePamba River. The highest peak in the park is the 2,019 m (6,624 ft) highKottamala, the southernmost peak in India higher than 2,000 metres (6,562 ft). ThePeriyar andPamba Rivers originate in the forests of the reserve, both inMlappara.[5] The other prominent peaks within the park are Pachayarmala, Vellimala, Sunderamala, Chokkampetti mala and Karimala.[6] The topography consists of steep and rolling hills which are thickly wooded.
The sanctuary surrounds Periyar Lake, a reservoir measuring 31 km2 (12 sq mi),[7] which was formed when theMullaperiyar Dam was erected in 1895. The reservoir and the Periyar River meander around the contours of the wooded hills, providing a permanent source of water for the local wildlife.
The temperature varies depending upon the altitude, ranging between 15 °C in December and January and 31 °C in April and May. Annual precipitation is between 2000 and 3000 mm, with about two-thirds occurring during thesouthwest monsoon between June and September. Much of the rest occurs during thenortheast monsoon between October and December. Summers are warm with some precipitation in April and winters are cold.
The park is made up ofTropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests,montane grasslands and shrublands, montane savannas, human-made stands ofeucalyptus, wetlands, and lake and riverecosystems.[9] A total of 1965 taxa (species and infraspecific) of flowering plants have been collected and described from the park. These include 17 species categorized as "possibly extinct".[6] Out of the aforementionedflowering plant taxa, about 171 species ofgrass and 140 species oforchids have been recorded within the park.[9] The grasses are found in the open grasslands found on the edges of the water bodies and montane habitats where fire resistant vegetation grows and dense grasses like elephant grass are found. Various herbivores such as sambar, Asian elephants, gaur and wild boar have been observed to graze here.
Forests found here are composed of deciduous, evergreen and semi evergreen trees liketeak,rosewoods,terminalia,sandalwoods,mangoes,jamun,tamarind,banyans,sacred fig,kino tree,bamboos,Diospyros bourdillonii,Hopea parviflora,Dipterocarpus indicus,Semecarpus travancoricus and the only south Indian conifer,Nageia wallichiana. The medicinalgloriosa lily grows in the park. Theendemic flora includeHabenaria periyarensis andSyzygium periyarense.[9]
The park is surrounded by agricultural regions, especiallyplantations of such crops astea,cardamom, andcoffee.[9]
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35 species ofmammals have been recorded in the park, including many threatened species. It is an important tiger and elephant reserve. A total of 40Bengal tigers were counted across 925 square kilometers of the park in 2017.[10] It is valuable for theAsian elephant, and a fewwhite tigers are also found here. Other mammals include thegaur,sambar,wild pig,Indian giant squirrel,Travancore flying squirrel,jungle cat,Dhole,sloth bear,Nilgiri tahr,lion-tailed macaque,Nilgiri langur,Salim Ali's fruit bat,stripe-necked mongoose, andNilgiri marten.[11]
About 266 species of birds can be seen in the park, includingmigrants. Endemic birds include theMalabar grey hornbill,Nilgiri wood pigeon,blue-winged parakeet,Nilgiri flycatcher,crimson-backed sunbird,white-bellied redstart, andblack-necked stork.[12]
A four-day survey conducted on 1–4 December 2016, organised under the aegis of the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR), found the presence of 13 new bird and 16 butterfly species that were undetected earlier. The newly found bird species included Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola), steppe gull (Larus fuscus barbensis), grey-necked bunting (Emberiza bruniceps) and paddyfield warbler (Acrocephalus agricola).[13]
There are 45 species of reptiles - 30 snakes, 13 lizards, and two turtles. Snakes include theking cobra,Malabar pit viper, andstriped coral snake.
Amphibians in the park includecaecilians,frogs, andtoads. Species include theMalabar gliding frog,Asian toad,fungoid frog, andbicolored frog.[14]
About 40 species of fish are found in the local lakes and rivers. These include thePeriyar trout,Periyar latia,Periyar barb,channa barb, andTravancore loach.[15]
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There are about 160butterfly taxa, including South India's largest butterfly, thesouthern birdwing;lime butterfly;Malabar tree nymph;Indian awlking;Evershed's ace, which is endemic to the South Western Ghats;southern spotted ace, which is also endemic to the southern parts of the western ghats, but is more common and with a greater range thanT. evershedi;Madras ace; the highly threatenedTravancore evening brown, which can only be found in cane brakes; various kinds of uncommonMycalesis species (the bushbrowns), some of which are endemic to theWestern Ghats; and many kinds ofmoths, such as theSouthern Atlas moth.[16] A survey jointly conducted by the Periyar Tiger Conservation Foundation, Indian Dragonfly Society and the Forest and Wildlife Department in October 2017 found 77 species ofodonata, including the Asian emerald (Hemicordulia asiatica).[17][18] A survey jointly conducted by the same team in September 2018 found eight more new species.[19]
It is estimated that the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) provides flow benefits worth 17.6 billion rupees (1.9 lakh (190,000)/hectare) annually. Importantecosystem services included gene-pool protection (7.86 billion), water provisioning to districts of Tamil Nadu (4.05 billion), habitat and refugia for wildlife (3.55 billion), employment generation for local communities (25 million), water purification services to nearby towns and districts (483 million) and recreation value (425 million).[22]
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