| Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary | |
|---|---|
IUCN category IV (habitat/species management area) | |
 | |
   | |
 Interactive map of Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary | |
| Location | Kerala, India |
| Coordinates | 10°18′00″N77°10′30″E / 10.3°N 77.175°E /10.3; 77.175 |
| Area | 90.44 km2 (34.92 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 2372 |
| Established | August 1984 |
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is awildlife sanctuary in theIdukki district of India'sKerala state. It is one of 18 wildlife sanctuaries among theprotected areas of Kerala.[1]It hosts the only rehabilitation centre for theIndian star tortoise in India.[2]
It is under the jurisdiction of and contiguous withEravikulam National Park to the south.Indira Gandhi National Park is to the north andPalani Hills National Park is to the east. It forms an integral part of the 1,187 km2 (458 sq mi) block of protected forests straddling the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border in theAnaimalai Hills.[3] TheWestern Ghats, Anamalai Sub-Cluster, including all of Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, is under consideration by theUNESCO World Heritage Committee for selection as aWorld Heritage Site.[4]
Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is located between latitude 10º15' - 10º21' N and longitude 77º5' - 77º16' E.[5] TheMunnar –Udumalpet roadSH 17 passes through the sanctuary for 16 km and divides it into nearly equal portions. Average annual rainfall is only 500 mm, spread over about 48 days, because it is in therain shadow region of the southernWestern Ghats.[3]
The elevation ranges from 400 m (1,300 ft) at east end of theChinnar River to 2,522 m (8,274 ft) atKumarikkal Mala peak. Other major peaks in the sanctuary are Nandala Malai 2,372 m (7,782 ft), Kottakombu malai (2,144 m (7,034 ft)), Vellaikal malai (1,863 m (6,112 ft)) and Viriyoottu malai 1,845 m (6,053 ft). In contrast,Anamudi peak 2,695 m (8,842 ft), located 23 km (14 mi) away in the adjacent Eravikulam National Park, is the highest peak in South India.[citation needed]
There are 11 tribal settlements inside the Chinnar WLS, each is well demarcated by temporary stone walls. The main inhabitants areMuthuvas andPulayars. Cultivation ofmaize,ragi andlemongrass is practiced in the settlements. The Mudhuvas carry out small scaleganja cultivation for their religious purposes.[6]
The sanctuary's fauna comprises:[7]
In 2016, 101 species ofspiders were reported.[8]
There are 963 species of flowering plants in the sanctuary.[7]Ecoregions of the sanctuary comprise mostlygrassland andwet grasslands vegetation and someSouth Western Ghats montane rain forests and highshola at the higher western elevations.South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests at mid elevations give way todry deciduous forests andthorny scrub forests in the lower dryer eastern edges of the valley. The majorxerophytic species in the thorny scrub forests areAcacia arabica,Acacia leucofolia,Acacia concinna,Prosporis juliflora, andOpuntia stricta.[9]
The Marayoorsandalwood forest is located here.[10]
Senior officials of theMinistry of Environment and Forests (India),Principal Chief Conservators of Forests of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, together with other senior forest officials of these states and the Union Territory of Pondicherry, met at Thiruvananthapuram on 3 and 4 November 2006 and resolved several mutual issues concerning conservation and protection of forests and wildlife of the region.
A regular conference of the forest ministers and forest officials of the southern states is held once a year, in rotation in each state.[11]
