CHENNAI: The State government on Monday gave a major boost to tiger conservation with the declaration of Srivilliputhur Megamalai Tiger Reserve (SMTR), the fifth and largest tiger reserve in the State with 1,01657.13 hectares, of which 64,186.21 hectares is the core area and the remaining 37,470.92 hectares is the buffer.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) gave in-principle approval under Section 38 V(1) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 last month following which Sandeep Saxena, Additional Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary for Environment and Forest Department, issued an official order. Chief Wildlife Warden Syed Muzammil Abbas told Express that a formal Gazette Notification will be issued in a week’s time.
“It has been a long-pending demand and will give a boost to tiger conservation in the State,” he said.
Explaining the importance of SMTR, forest officials said tiger disperses in large areas and such dispersals are important for the exchange of genes. This process was essential for long-term population growth of the big cat.
“Tigers from Periyar Tiger Reserve and Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) regions can find significant habitats and breeding home ranges in the highly undulating terrains of Srivilliputhur and Megamalai hilly tracts, in fact, the forested habitats of the Srivilliputhur regions, which are largely uninhabited and undisturbed, could provide excellent buffering grounds to the tigers of Periyar Tiger Reserve as much as they can offer excellent genetic exchange grounds for the tigers of Anamalai regions. Tiger is an ecosystem umbrella species and survival and growth of several of the co-predators and other species could be directly correlated to the growth of tigers,” officials said.
For administrative reasons, like any other tiger reserve, the Srivilliputhur Megamalai Tiger Reserve could be headed by a Field Director of the rank of a Chief Conservator of Forests (CCF), who will be stationed at Madurai. The forest department has proposed to re-designate the post of CCF, Madurai as Field Director of Srivilliputhur Megamalai Tiger Reserve and CCF, Madurai circle.
Welcoming the move, CP Rajkumar, honorary wildlife warden and founder of VANAM (Vaigai Association for Nature Resources and Mountain Ranges) VANAM, said notifying SMTR will also play critical role in protection of the Vaigai river, which originates in Megalamalai. Vaigai is a lifeline for five districts and provides drinking water to nearly one crore people. Of late, the river is slowly dying. Rajkumar was also part of a seven-member technical expert committee formed by the forest department in 2016 to study the proposal for SMTR.