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News: The post-monsoon wildlife census started in the Kalakkad Division of Kalakkad – Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR).
About Kalakkad – Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR)
- Location: Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari districts, Tamil Nadu, India
- It is southernmost Tiger Reserve in India. It is part of the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve.
- Established: 1988 (Declared a Tiger Reserve)
- It is situated in the Western Ghats, one of the world’s eight “hottest hotspots” of biodiversity.
- It features diverse landscapes including dense forests, grasslands, and riverine ecosystems.
- It receives high rainfall, leading to rich vegetation and a thriving ecosystem.
- Vegetation: It includes tropical evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous forests and grasslands.
- Flora: The reserve’s vegetation ranges from thorny shrub jungles to dense evergreen forests. A total of 448 endemic angiosperm species and 161 fern species have been documented.
- Fauna:
- Big Cats: Bengal Tiger, Leopard
- Herbivores: Indian Gaur, Sambar Deer, Spotted Deer, Nilgiri Tahr
- Primates: Lion-tailed Macaque, Nilgiri Langur, Bonnet Macaque
- Birds: Great Hornbill, Malabar Pied Hornbill, and various endemic species
- Reptiles: King Cobra, Indian Rock Python
- Amphibians: Numerous rare and endemic frog species
Significance & Conservation
- It is part of the Project Tiger initiative for the protection of Bengal Tigers. It is also recognized as a Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH).
- Plays a vital role in watershed protection, with rivers like Thamirabarani, Manimuthar, and Ramanadhi originating here.
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