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Introduction

India’s 51st tiger reserve, Srivilliputhur–Megamalai Tiger Reserve of Tamil Nadu was declared through a notification dated 8 February 2021. It spreads over an area of 1016.57 km² , with a core of extent 641.86 km² and a buffer of extent 374.70 km². The tiger reserve is located in Virudhunagar, Theni and Madurai districts. It has been declared a tiger reserve by upgrading the existing Srivilliputhur Grizzled Giant Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary and Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary. These two sanctuaries form the core area of the tiger reserve. The Srivilliputhur–Megamalai landscape is situated in vital southern-eastern projections of the Western Ghats, in south-central Tamil Nadu, abutting Kerala’s Periyar Tiger Reserve in the south-west direction and having spatial connectivity to the Anamalai Tiger Landscape in the north-western direction and to Tamil Nadu’s Kalakadu Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, which is linked to the Kanyakumari Hills in the very south of the country. Tigers from the neighbouring Periyar Tiger Reserve and from near Anamalai Tiger Reserve find significant habitats and breeding and home ranges in the highly undulating terrain of Srivilliputhur and in the hilly tracts of Megamalai. The forested habitats of the Srivilliputhur region, which are largely uninhabited and undisturbed, provide excellent buffering grounds to the tigers of Periyar Tiger Reserve and excellent genetic exchange grounds for the tigers of the Anamalai region.

Management Strengths:

Srivilliputhur Tiger Reserve is endowed with a large number of endemic species, like the LTM, Nilgiri tahr, giant grizzled squirrel and slender loris. and with interspersing Shola forests and grasslands, the entire landscape when integrated through corridors and physical linkages paves way for a very healthy genetic dispersal of the elephants, tigers and their co-predators.
It is the important catchment of the Vaigai River and the Periyar River, on which nearly 10 million people depend today. Many more will continue to depend on it for sustenance of life and health.
Unexplored forests with rich floral and faunal diversity with excellent scope for scientific research. For eco-tourists this tiger reserve is an ideal place as it is full of biological diversity, scenic views, wildlife sightings, trekking, etc.
The eco-sensitive zones of both the sanctuaries forming the core of the tiger reserve have been notified.

Management Weaknesses:

SMTR, established as a new tiger reserve on 8 February 2021 during the peak COVID-19 period, lacks the basic infrastructure of anti-poaching camps, roads, buildings (both for residences and for offices) and a VHF network. There is a shortage of regular and daily wagers for want of adequate funds. There is a shortage of vehicles and camera traps for regular monitoring of tigers and other wild animals.
The Tiger Conservation Plan has not yet been prepared. As a result, the present management of the tiger reserve is not focused.
The tiger reserve has inherited a large chunk of forest land encroached by cotton silk mafias sitting in big cities like Chennai and Madurai.
Large-scale cultivation of tea, coffee, cardamom and other cash crops has fragmented the contiguous patches of forests, leading to loss of biodiversity, especially the endemic species.
The tiger reserve is badly infested with weeds like Lantana, Euporatium and Senna species.
Only four EDCs out of 53 are active.
It is infested with the grazing cattle owned by absentee landlords for meat, etc.
Ganja cultivation is quite rampant within the tiger reserve.
Tribal people living in hamlets, viz., Ayyanarkoil, Shenbagathoppu, Athikoil, Thaniparai, Vinobanagar and Valliammai Nagar, have been assigned 4955 ha of reserve forest (core area, 1089.32 ha; buffer area, 3865.68 ha) for collection of minor forest produce for their bona fide purposes according to the resolution passed in the District Level Committee as per the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006. (Central Act 2 of 2007).
Rampant violation of the Forest Conservation Act by distributing land pattas for forest land is a cause of concern.
The large networks of roads (national highway, state highways and other roads) fragment the forests. Vehicular movement on these roads is a cause of disturbance for wild animals.
Due to a shortage of funds and the non-existence of the Tiger Conservation Foundation, the management has not been able to provide adequate rations to anti-poaching watchers over the years.

Immediate Actionable Points:

The management plan needs to be completed immediately. The preparation of the management plan has been assigned to Global Tiger Forum (GTF), a Delhi-based organisation. As per field officers, the experts of GTF are not visiting the field to have first-hand information on various aspects of SMTR. GTF experts need to camp in SMTR, and they should finish the preparation of the plan in a time-bound manner with cooperation and support from field officers. The plan should incorporate the views of the stakeholders. It should be completed with the participation of all stakeholders.
CWLW Tamil Nadu needs to initiate steps for the creation of Tiger Conservation Foundation and provide funds for this Foundation from the neighbouring tiger reserves of Tamil Nadu as well as from the adjoining Eco Development Division to sustain the anti-poaching camp labourers of SMTR and essential infrastructure.
As reported in the field, the revenue department has granted pattas for a large chunk of forest land which was declared RF/RL under the Tamil Nadu Forest Act prior to 1980. This needs to be examined, and action needs to be taken to cancel the illegal pattas. Other actions need to be taken as per the provisions of the FC Act, 1980.
Since the core area is a wildlife sanctuary, steps may be taken to declare the core area the Critical Wildlife Habitat. Community rights granted in the core area under the Forest Rights Act may be cancelled.
The 49 defunct eco-developmental committees need to be activated immediately to support the management in the absence of an adequate number of field staff members and APC labourers.
Since there is a severe resource crunch in this tiger reserve, the CWLW Tamil Nadu to please arrange for an adequate number of camera traps and smart phones for M- STrIPES patrolling in SMTR.
Since the core area (both sanctuaries) has a notified ESZ, many destructive activities like grazing by sheep and goats of absentee owners need to be regulated in this region.
The sanctioned staff strength of SMTR needs to be revisited. The actual number of staff members needed to manage the increased workload needs to be redefined and sanctioned.
The state government and NTCA to provide adequate funds to strengthen the management of the TR. The non-availability of the TCP should not be the bottleneck for sanction of funds.
Since SMTR is a new tiger reserve, the management needs to focus attention on it. An independent Field Director is needed in contrast to the present situation with a Field Director in an additional charge.
The Government of Tamil Nadu to acquire the abandoned estate immediately. The process should be initiated to acquire other estates for having a disturbance-free habitat for wildlife.
In the tea estates, the use of chemicals is quite rampant. It is polluting the water bodies and is quite harmful to the health and lives of wild animals. The tiger reserve management must take steps to ensure that the use of chemicals is stopped by the tea estates.
The large penstocks of the hydroelectric power station are fragmenting the habitat at a number of places within the tiger reserve. Their size is so large that a large number of wild animals including elephants cannot cross them. As a result, they have to change their migratory route or be confined in small habitats. So the hydroelectric power generation company should provide in consultation with the Field Director a series of ramps across the penstocks at places the safe movement of wild animals.

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Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve

Introduction

Management Strengths:

Management Weaknesses:

Immediate Actionable Points:

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