VIRUDHUNAGAR: Conservation of Tigers is conservation of forests, say naturalists regarding the upcoming fifth tiger reserve in Tamil Nadu, which is to be named Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve. An area comprising 1,01,657.13 hectares (1,016.5713 square kilometres), combining the Srivilliputhur Grizzled Giant Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary and Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary has been declared as a Tiger Reserve by the government.
"Srivilliputhur Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary (GSWS) was formed in an area of 584.1 square kilometres in the year 1988 to protect the then nearly threatened Grizzled Squirrel. The sanctuary is a mix of grassland forests, evergreen forests, dry deciduous forests and others. During the Iyyappan temple season, elephants can be seen migrating towards our region", said Srivilliputhur forest ranger Chellamani. He also added that as the upcoming tiger reserve will be lying adjacent to Kalakkad Mundanthurai reserve, it will help in an increase in the tiger population. Official sources said that around five tigers have been spotted in the GSWS area alone, along with 300 elephants and around 17 tigers were spotted in the Megamalai region.
Another official stated that while an announcement has been made regarding the formation of the reserve, instructions on establishing the reserve are yet to be received. While the GSWS focuses on Grizzled Squirrels, the forest is home to several critically endangered, near threatened and endemic animals and birds. Nilgiri Tahr, lion-tailed macaques, sloth bears are some of the important species found in this region.
The proposed tiger reserve will comprise the existing Megamalai wildlife division (encompassing Varushanad hills, Cumbum valley together with Madurai forest division) and GSWS. The reserve would cover regions in four districts according to forest officials - Madurai, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli and Theni. Further, the new tiger reserve has an advantage in its location as it is contiguous to Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala on the southwest; and Seithur reserve forest of Rajapalayam range on the southern side, which is contiguous to Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tirunelveli. This will enable the tigers and elephants, among other animals, of the region to move freely in an extended habitat thereby helping in their population increase.
Public, politicians must be sensitized
"While the existing sanctuary lies adjacent to two tiger reserves, there are more tigers at Sabarimala even when it is the same stretch of forest. The reason for this is there are a lot of public intrusions here and encroachments by the public inside the jungle. Further, the public burn down stretches of forest land for grazing purposes, which is detrimental to the whole forest. With Tiger reserve being formed, newer, stricter rules and regulations will be put in place which will help in the thriving of other flora, fauna as well as microflora and microfauna. When biodiversity is protected, the local ecosystems thrive and it results in better underground water, better rainfall and other betterment. Also, the budget allocations will be different when a tiger reserve is formed, which will result in getting fire protection, fire fighting equipment, additional staff and localites might get jobs, too", notes wildlife conservationist Suresh Kumar.
Tiger reserve is to be a boon for Vaigai and farmers
A senior forest official from Srivilliputhur said that the Srivilliputhur - Meghamalai region is a catchment area of important water sources and that formation of tiger reserve there will facilitate rejuvenation of the river Vaigai. "The Project Tiger, under which the reserve is formed, touches almost every component related to sustainable development and conservation of the area. Further, when a tiger reserve is formed, monitoring by various authorities will take place, like for tiger population estimation, which will help in improving our conservation measures. Also, local people will be involved in the conservation process. Further, improved conservation activities in Megamalai, Varusanadu hills would replenish the river, as that is where the river originates", he added.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, naturalist TS Raja said, "Before the formation of Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Thamirabharani had received only 1,300 TMC of water. Now, it is more than 2,300 TMC. This has been possible due to the formation of the Tiger Reserve. The major part of Vaigai today is from Mullai Periyar, which has Theni Forest Division on one side and Periyar Tiger Reserve on the other. However, the origin of the river lies at Moola Vaigai, which will get restored after the implementation of the reserve and the associated forest acts", he said.
He further added that the impact of the tiger reserve on overall ecosystem and farming would be seen in the next five to ten years. "This has already been seen with the formation of Anamalai Tiger Reserve, Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve and others. It is a proven fact that with the formation of tiger reserves, forests will get rejuvenated, water bodies will increase, thereby improving farming. This reserve is a boon to the farmers of the Southern districts depending on Vaigai", he added.
Another activist said that the Tiger - one of the dominant predators in the forests - comes at the end of a long chain in the ecosystem, consisting of forests, elephants, herbivores, rivers, microflora and microfauna, as well as climate change. "A single tiger needs at least a 100 square kilometres of forest and herbivores for food. Herbivores need plants. Plants need insects and other microanimals. The plants would be seeded by large mammals, mainly elephants. Trying to conserve tigers, is conserving a whole ecosystem", he added.