SPR 2022: Biosphere Reserves, Important National Parks & Wildlife Sanctuaries in News

• River:
  • Bhavani, Moyar, Kabini (tribuatries of Cauvery), Chaliyar, Punampuzha, etc.
• Flora:
  • Forest Type: Moist Evergreen, Semi-Evergreen, Thorn, Savannah Woodland, Sholas, and Grassland
  • Endemic Flora: Vanda, Liparis, Bulbophyllum, Spiranthes, Thrixspermum
• Fauna:
  • Endemic Fauna: Nilgiri tahr, Nilgiri langur, Lion – tailed macaque
• Protected Areas:
  1. Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary (Also Tiger Reserve),
  2. Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary
  3. Bandipur National Park (Also Tiger Reserve),
  4. Nagarhole National Park (Also Tiger Reserve),
  5. Mukurthi National Park
  6. Silent Valley
• Other Facts:
  • It is a World Natural Heritage Site
• Tribals: 
  • Cholanaikans- primarily inhabit the southern Kerala State, especially Silent Valley National Park, and are one of the last remaining hunter-gatherer tribes of the region.

• River:
  • Rishi Ganga
• Flora:
  • Forest Type: Mixed temperate and subalpine
  • Endemic Flora: Salep Orchid, Silverweed, Fairy candelabra, Fairy Primrose
• Fauna:
  • Endemic Fauna: Himalayan tahr, Brown bear, Koklass pheasant
• Protected Areas:
  1. Nanda Devi National park
  2. Valley of Flowers National Park
• Other Facts:
  • The entire area is located within the Western Himalayas Endemic Bird Area (EBA).
  • Declared World Natural Heritage Site
• Tribals: 
  • Bhotia tribe

• River:
  • Ganol, Dareng and Simsang
• Flora:
  • Forest Type:  Evergreen and semi-evergreen deciduous forests
  • Endemic Flora: Grand rasamala, White meranti, Lali, Chempaka, Wild lemon
• Fauna:
  • Endemic Fauna: Stump tailed macaque, Pig-tailed macaque, Giant flying squirrel
• Protected Areas:
  • Nokrek National Park
• Tribals: 
  • Garo (Achikmande), Banias or Hajjons

• Flora:
  • Forest Type: Tropical and Sub-tropical Moist Broad-leafed Forest
  • Endemic Flora: Screw pine, Nipa palm, Ceylon ironwood
• Fauna:
  • Endemic Fauna: Crab-eating macaque, Nicobar megapode, Giant robber crab, Nicobar serpent eagle
• Tribals: 
  • Shompen and Nicobarese

• River:
  • Rishi Ganga
• Flora:
  • Forest Type: Tropical Dry Broad-leafed forest, seaweed communities, seagrass communities, coral reefs, salt marshes, and mangrove forests.
  • Endemic Flora: Morning glory, Jatropha, Halophila grass
• Fauna:
  • Endemic Fauna: Sea Cow, Sea Anemone, Sea fans
• Protected Areas:
  1. Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park
• Other Facts:
  • First marine Biosphere Reserve in India
  • Falls within the Indo-Malayan realm
• Tribals: 
  • Marakeyars, local people mainly engaged in fishing

• River:
  • Meghna
• Flora:
  • Forest Type: Tidal Swamp Forests, Saline Water Type Mixed Forests, Brackish Water Type Mixed Forests, Palm Swamp Type
  • Endemic Flora: Sundari, Passur, Nypa
• Fauna:
  • Endemic Fauna: Bengal tiger, Bengal monitor lizard, Salvator lizard
  • Others: Gangetic dolphin, , estuarine crocodile, river terrapin, olive ridley turtle,
• Protected Areas:
  1. Sundarban National Park /Sundarban Tiger Reserve
  2. Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary
  3. Lothian Wildlife Sanctuary
  4. Haliday Wildlife Sanctuary
• Other Facts:
  • It is a World Natural Heritage Site 

• River:
  • Budhabalanga, Palpala Bhandan, Kharkai River, and Deo
• Flora:
  • Forest Type: Northern Tropical Semi-Evergreen Forests, Northern Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests, Dry Deciduous Hill Forests, High-Level Sal Forest, Grassland and Savannah
  • Endemic Flora: Coix grass
• Fauna:
  • Endemic Fauna: Red-breasted falconet, Slender-billed scimitar babbler, Ruddy mongoose
• Protected Areas:
  1. Similipal Tiger Reserve,
  2. Hadgarh Wildlife Sanctuary 
  3. Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary
• Other Facts:
  • The biosphere reserve has the largest zone of Sal in all of India.
• Tribals: 
  • ErengaKharias and the Mankirdias, Ho, Gonda and Munda, etc.

• River:
  • Teesta
• Flora:
  • Forest Type:  Sub-tropical broad leaved hill forest, Himalayan wet temperate forest, and temperate broad-leaved forest, mixed coniferous forest, sub-alpine forests and dry alpine forest
  • Endemic Flora: Anemone, Uvaria, Sikkim Rhododendron, Sikkim Mahonia
• Fauna:
  • Endemic Fauna: Tibetan sheep, Musk deer, Monal pheasant, Snow Patridge
• Protected Areas:
  1. Kanchenjunga National Park
• Other Facts:
  • India’s first Mixed Heritage Site

• River:
  • Denwa
• Flora:
  • Forest Type:  Moist deciduous, dry deciduous, central Indian subtropical hill forest.
  • Endemic Flora: Sal tree, Selaginella fern, Palimorpha bamboo
• Fauna:
  • Endemic Fauna: Barasinga, Wild buffalo, Red jungle fowl
• Protected Areas:
  1. Bori Sanctuary,
  2. Pachmarhi Sanctuary
  3. Satpura National Park(These altogether has also been notified as Satpura Tiger Reserve)
• Other Facts:
  • Pachmarhi BR area is often recognized as the “Genetic Express Highway” linking two biological hot spots of the country viz. Eastern Himalayas and the Western Ghats, also as the confluence of northern and southern types of vegetation.
• Tribals: 
  • Gond, Korkustribes introduced the cultivation of potatoes and made use of honeycombs to produce honey in significant quantities for commercial use. Most primitive Bhariya Tribe are found here.

• River:
  • Tambraparani
• Flora:
  • Forest Type:  Thorn, moist deciduous and semi-evergreen
  • Endemic Flora: Rudraksha tree, Black plums, Gaub tree, Wild dhaman
• Fauna:
  • Endemic Fauna:  Lion-tailed macaque, Slender loris, Great pied hornbill
• Protected Areas:
  1. Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary
  2. Peppara Wildlife sanctuary
  3. Shendumey wildlife Sanctuary
  4. Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.
• Other Facts:
  • World Natural Heritage Site
  • Part of “Hottest biodiversity hotspots”
• Tribals: 
  • Kani tribes from both Tamil Nadu and Kerala

• River:
  • Narmada, Johilla and Sone, Ama Nallah
• Flora:
  • Forest Type:  Tropical deciduous vegetation. Further classified into Northern Tropical Moist Deciduous and Southern Dry Mixed Deciduous forests
  • Endemic Flora: Several thallophytes, bryophyte, pteridophyte, gymnosperm, and angiosperm species found.
• Fauna:
  • Endemic Fauna: Tigers, panthers, Chitals, blackbuck, giant squirrels, etc

Other Biosphere Reserves

• River:
  • Dibru, Bramhaputra
• Flora:
  • Forest Type: Semi wet evergreen forests, tropical moist deciduous forests, bamboo, swamp forests, canebrakes, and grasslands.
  • Endemic Flora: Rauvolfia (Sarpagandhi), Benteak, Livistona (orchid)
• Fauna:
  • Endemic Fauna: White-winged wood duck, Hollock-gibbon, Wild buffalo
• Protected Areas:
  1. Dibru-Saikhowa National Park (was declared wildlife sanctuary in 1986)
• Other Facts:
  • Not a part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR)

• River:
  • Dehang, Debang, and their tributaries
• Flora:
  • Forest Type: Sub-tropical broad-leaved, sub-tropical pine, temperate broad-leaved, temperate conifer, sub-alpine woody shrub, alpine meadow (monton), bamboo brakes, and grassland.
  • Endemic Flora: Tree fern, Begonia, Lady’s slipper orchid
• Fauna:
  • Endemic Fauna: Red panda, Himalayan black bear, Green pit viper, Takin
• Protected Areas:
  1. Mouling National Park
  2. Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary
• Other Facts:
  • Not a part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR)

• River:
  • Luni, Rupen, West Banas drains into the area
• Flora:
  • Forest Type:  Great Rann of Kachchh (GRK) and Little Rann of Kachchh (LRK) has mixed scrub, thorn, savannah in GRK.
  • Endemic Flora: Mangroves  in the eastern border of Banni grassland, inside the GRK a place locally known as Shrawan Kavadia
• Fauna:
  • Endemic Fauna:  Indian wild ass, Greater and Lesser Flamingos
• Protected Areas:
  1. Kachchh Desert Sanctuary
  2. Wild Ass Sanctuary (for the conservation of wild ass)
• Other Facts:
  • Not a part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR)

• River:
  • Pin, Chandrabhaga, Spiti
• Flora:
  • Forest Type:  Cold, harsh climate with low mean annual rainfall-creating desert-like conditions
  • Endemic Flora: Herbs, shrub species
• Fauna:
  • Endemic Fauna:  Tibetan guzzle, red fox, weasel, marmot, griffon, lammergeyer, golden eagle, snow cock, snow leopard, brown and black bear,ibex, etc
• Protected Areas:
  1. Pin Valley National Park
  2. Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary
  3. Chandratal Wildlife Sanctuary
  4. Sarchu Wildlife Sanctuary
• Other Facts:
  • Not a part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR)

• River:
  • Manas-Beki
• Flora:
  • Forest Type: The monsoon forests of Manas lie in the Brahmaputra Valley semi-evergreen forests ecoregion.
  • Endemic Flora: Catechu tree, Sissoo, White siris
• Fauna:
  • Endemic Fauna: Pygmy hog, Golden lungur , Assam roofed turtle
• Protected Areas:
  1. Manas Wildlife Sanctuary
  2. Manas National Park
  3. Manas Tiger Reserve
• Other Facts:
  • It is a World Natural Heritage Site 

• Flora:
  • Forest Type:  Both dry and Moist deciduous Type
  • Endemic Flora: Red Sanders and Slender Loris
• Fauna:
  • Endemic Fauna:  Jungle cat, Great Mouse Deer, golden Gekos
• Protected Areas:
  1. Sri Venkateswara National Park
  2. Sri Venkateshwara wildlife Sanctuary
• Other Facts:
  • Not a part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR)
  • Tirupati Balaji temple is located here.

• River:
  • Ken
• Flora:
  • Forest Type:  Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Dry Teak Forest, Northern Tropical Dry Deciduous Mixed Forest, Dry Deciduous Scrub Forest, Boswellia Forest, Dry Bamboo Brakes, Anogeissus pendula Forest.
  • Endemic Flora: Panna represents the northern boundary of the natural distribution of teak and the eastern limits of teak-kardhai mixed forests.
• Fauna:
  • Endemic Fauna:  Tiger, chinkara, , tree shrew, long-snouted crocodile, mugger Links the eastern and western wildlife populations of the Vindhyan ranges.
• Protected Areas:
  1. Panna National Park/Panna Tiger Reserve
  2. Gangau Wildlife Sanctuary
  3. Ken-Gharial Wildlife sanctuary (dedicated to breeding programs and proper housing of Gharials)
• Other Facts:
  • Not a part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves (WNBR)

• Lake Urmia is a hypersaline lake in northwest Iran.
• Due to its unique aquatic ecosystem, it has been designated as a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO and a National Park under the 1971 Ramsar Convention.
• Located in northwestern Iran, climate change has reduced its size by about 80% over the past 30 years.

National Parks

New update 2021-22

• Tamil Nadu government is constructing fire lines’ or ‘fire breaks’ ahead of summer and peak fire season.
• Part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
• Nilgiri Tahr is a Keystone species of the park

Context:

• The Assam government has approved the addition of 30.53 sq. km (3,053 hectares) to the 884 sq. km Kaziranga National Park.

About Kaziranga National Park:

• It is located in the State of Assam and covers 42,996 Hectare (ha).
• It is the single largest undisturbed and representative area in the Brahmaputra Valley floodplain.
• It was declared as a National Park in 1974.
• It has been declared a tiger reserve since 2007. It has a total tiger reserve area of 1,030 sq km with a core area of 430 sq. km.

International Status:

• It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985.
• It is recognized as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.

Important Species Found:

• It is the home of the world's most one-horned rhinos.
• Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary has the highest density of one-horned rhinos in the world and the second-highest number of Rhinos in Assam after Kaziranga National Park.
• Much of the focus of conservation efforts in Kaziranga is focused on the 'big four' species— Rhino, Elephant, Royal Bengal tiger and Asiatic water buffalo.
• The 2018 census had yielded 2,413 rhinos and approximately 1,100 elephants.
• As per the figures of tiger census conducted in 2014, Kaziranga had an estimated 103 tigers, the third-highest population in India after Jim Corbett National Park (215) in Uttarakhand and Bandipur National Park (120) in Karnataka.

• Context:
  • Recently, two new national parks, Dihing Patkai and Raimona, were notified in Assam.
  • About Dihing Patkai National Park:
    • Location- It is located within the larger Dihing Patkai Elephant Reserve, which spreads across the coal- and oil-rich districts of Upper Assam.
    • The oldest refinery of Asia in Digboi and ‘open cast’ coal mining at Lido are located near the sanctuary.
    • The Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary is also known as the Jeypore Rainforest.
    • Naming- Dehing is the name of the river that flows through this forest and Patkai is the hill at the foot of which the sanctuary lies.
    • Flora and Fauna- It is believed to be the last remaining contiguous patch of lowland rainforest area in Assam.
    • Rare fauna found in the region includes Chinese pangolin, flying fox, wild pig, sambar, barking deer, gaur, serow, and Malayan giant squirrels.
    • It is the only sanctuary in India that is home to seven different species of wild cats – tiger, leopard, clouded leopard, leopard cat, golden cat, jungle cat, and marbled cat.
    • Assamese macaque, a primate found in the forest, is on the red list of Near Threatened species.
    • It has the highest concentration of the rare endangered White Winged Wood Duck.

• About Raimona National Park:
  • Location– The Raimona National Park is within the Bodoland Territorial Region.
  • It is bounded on the west by the Sonkosh river and the Saralbhanga river on the east.
  • Both the rivers are tributaries of the Brahmaputra.
  • The Pekua river defines Raimona’s southern boundary.
  • Flora and Fauna-With 11 different forest types and subtypes, Raimona is home to the golden langur, elephant, tiger, clouded leopard and Indian gaur besides sustaining several species of orchids, more than 150 species of butterflies, 170 species of birds and 380 species of plants.
  • Golden Langur is endemic species that has been named the mascot of the Bodoland region.
• National parks in Assam:
  • Assam now is the state with the second-highest number of national parks (7) in the country, after Madhya Pradesh (12).
  • The Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar has 9 national parks.
  • Other 5 National parks of Assam are- Kaziranga, Nameri, Orang, Manas and Dibru-Saikhowa.
  • Kaziranga and Manas are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

• Encroachment issues
• Home to Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG)s like Saharia

• Increase in population of Hard ground swamp deer (Barasingha)
• Also, a Tiger Reserve

• Possible site for the Cheetah reintroduction project
• Previously a wildlife sanctuary, it was designated as National Park in 2018

• India, Nepal, and Bhutan drafted a memorandum of understanding to create a trans-boundary wildlife conservation ‘peace park’ which will an extension of the Manas National Park
• Also, a UNESCO Natural World Heritage site, Project tiger reserve, and a biosphere reserve.

• Ban on vehicular movement on the forest stretch of NH 766
• Forest fires in 2019
• Part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve

• Area of Eco-sensitive zone curtailed
• part of the national park was designated as Bannerghatta Biological Park- also has a butterfly park, first in India

• Death of last captive white tiger Bajirao
• One of the major national parks existing within a metropolis limit

• NGT asked the Centre to prepare a time-bound action plan within two months for the protection of the Great Indian Bustards.
• Home to Great Indian Bustard (Critically Endangered)

• Risk of transfer of canine distemper from the dogs to tigers and leopards
• Also, a Tiger Reserve

• Increase saltwater or estuarine crocodile population
• Inundated by the rivers Brahmani, Baitarani, Dhamra, Pathsala.
• Second-largest mangrove ecosystem in India, the first being Sundarbans (West Bengal)
• It is a Ramsar site.

• Asiatic Lion Conservation Project launched in 2019
• The only surviving free-ranging population of the Asiatic lion exists in the Gir forest region

Wildlife Sanctuaries

New update 2021-22

• Context:
  • Assam government has decided to upgrade the Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary into a national park.
• About Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary:
  • Also known as the Jeypore Rainforest is a part of Dehing Patkai Elephant Reserve.
  • Located in Dibrugarh and Tinsukia districts, the 111.19 sq km Dehing Patkai has declared a wildlife sanctuary in 2004.
  • It is home to 47 mammals, 47 reptiles, and 310 butterfly species.
  • It forms the largest stretch of lowland rainforest in the country.
  • Dehing is the name of the river that flows through this forest and Patkai is the hill at the foot of which the sanctuary lies.

• Context:
  • A six-year-old tiger was translocated from the buffer zone of Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve to Rajaji Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand.

About Rajaji Tiger Reserve:

• It is a national park and tiger reserve that encompasses the Shivaliks, near the foothills of the Himalayas.
• It was declared as a tiger reserve in 2015 and is the second tiger reserve in the Uttarakhand and 48th Tiger Reserve of India.
• The park extends over the Shivalik Range in the northwest to the Rawasan River in the southeast with the Ganges dividing it into two parts.
• Some of the basic features of the Shivalik formations are to be seen in the park and is rightly known as a veritable storehouse of Shivalik biodiversity and ecosystems.
• The western part of the Park consists of the Ramgarh, Kansrao, Motichur, Hardwar, Dholkhand, and Chillawali Ranges.

• Context:
  • A six-year-old tiger was translocated from the buffer zone of Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve to Rajaji Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand.
• About Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve:
  • It was established in 1936 as Hailey National Park- the first national park in India.
  • It is located in the Nainital district of Uttarakhand. The Corbett national park has the highest tiger count from the single reserve in the recent Tiger census(carried once in 4 years)
  • The park was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1973- the first to come under the Project Tiger initiative.
  • The tiger reserve is situated in the Shivalik hills of the Himalayas while administratively it spreads over Pauri Garhwal, Nainital, and Almora districts of Uttarakhand State in India.

• Context:
  • For the first time in the country, the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) has taken up the training of a tiger cub to equip it to naturally hunt its prey in the forest environment. Initially, it is being trained to hunt chicken. The training is given as per the National Tiger Conservation Authority of India (NTCA) guidelines.
• Periyar National Park:
  • Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (PNP) is a protected area located in the districts of Idukki and Pathanamthitta in Kerala, India.
  • It is notable as an elephant reserve and a tiger reserve.
  • The protected area encompasses 925 km2 (357 sq. mi) of which 305 km2 (118 sq. mi) of the core 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, the Periyar and the Pamba.
  • The park is located high in the Cardamom Hills and Pandalam Hills of the South Western Ghats along the border with Tamil Nadu.
  • It is 4 km (2.5 mi) from Kumily, approximately 100 km (62 mi) east of Kottayam, 110 km (68 mi) west of Madurai, and 120 km (75 mi) southeast of Kochi.

• Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary
• Mollem National Park
• Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary
• Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary
• Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary

• Wildlife activists have demanded that certain areas in wildlife sanctuaries of the state be notified as ‘tiger reserve’.

• Arunachal Pradesh Government cleared 692.7 km highway through the reserve to build the East-West Industrial Corridor.
• Bounded by Kameng River in the west and north, and by Pakke River in the east.
• Famous for Hornbill Nest Adoption Programme

• To be declared as Tiger Reserve. NTCA approval awaited
• Part of a contiguous tiger habitat located very close to the tri-junction of the states of Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu

• Indian gaur (Vulnerable) spotted in the sanctuary for the first time in recorded history

• Concerns over ambitious bullet train project between Ahmedabad-Mumbai
• Supports a large congregation of flamingos

• Odisha forest department put a ban on fishing in Gahiramatha Marine Sanctuary
• Known as the world’s largest Olive Ridley rookery

• Gangetic River Dolphin census conducted
• Only dolphin sanctuary

• It is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.
• It is a part of the bigger tiger landscape and is also a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
• It is located at the strategic confluence of Western and Eastern Ghats. The reserve is a part of the watershed of the Rivers Moyar and Bhawani.
• Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, and Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala have secured the highest MEE( MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS EVALUATION OF TIGER RESERVES score)
• Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu showed the highest increment in management since the last cycle

• For the first time, the Bandhavgarh reserve forest in Madhya Pradesh has a colony of elephants and is an unusual occurrence in Bandhavgarh.
• Bandhavgarh National Park is spread at Vindhya hills in the Umariya district of Madhya Pradesh.
• It was declared a national park in 1968 and then became Tiger Reserve in 1993

• Recently declared as an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ)
• Home to Gharial (critically endangered), Gangetic river dolphin (Endangered), and red-crowned roofed turtle (critically endangered)

• Madhya Pradesh government decided to declare the Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary a tiger reserve. Approval for the same was received by NTCA back in 2013.
• Bhimbetka rock shelters are located within

• It was declared a national park in 1968 and then became Tiger Reserve in 1993. Nauradehi Sanctuary
• It is situated in Madhya Pradesh and spreads across two major river basins, namely the Narmada and Ganges.
• It was in news for a successful tiger relocation program. It is also a potential site for the Cheetah Reintroduction in India from Africa.

• Due to concerted efforts by the Tiger Conservation Foundation (TCF), the number of tigers in the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) in Andhra Pradesh has gone up.
• It is spread over 3,800 sq.km. covering Guntur, Prakasam, and Kurnool districts in Andhra Pradesh and Nalgonda and Mahabubnagar in Telangana.

• The Atapaka bird sanctuary in Kolleru lake has become a safe breeding ground for two migratory bird species- grey pelicans and painted storks.
• Kolleru, one of the largest freshwater lakes, was accorded a sanctuary status under the Wildlife Protection Act,1972. It is a Ramsar site and also identified as an “Important Bird Area” of India.

• It is one of the largest tiger reserves in the country situated in Nallamala hill of Telangana.
• Earlier, it was part of 'Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger reserve' but post-bifurcation, the northern part of the reserve is vested with Telangana and renamed as 'Amrabad Tiger Reserve'.
• It is dominated by the Chenchus, a PVTG that has been coexisting with tigers and wild animals for a long without disturbing the ecological balance.
• In 2017, the endangered species of mouse deer were reintroduced here.

• The State government is set to declare the 148-sq-km buffer zone of the Silent Valley National Park as Bhavani wildlife sanctuary. Encompassing parts of the Mannarkkad and Nilambur (South) forest divisions, the region will become the 25th protected area in the State.