ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE AND FORESTS DEPARTMENT - Notification of “Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary” in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri Districts under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972

© GOVERNMENT OF TAMIL NADU 2022

[Regd. No. TN/CCN/467/2012-14.

[R. Dis. No. 197/2009.

[Price: Rs. 1.60 Paise.

No. 511] CHENNAI, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2022 Aippasi 22, Subakiruthu, Thiruvalluvar Aandu-2053

Part II—Section 2

Notifications or Orders of interest to a Section of the public

issued by Secretariat Departments.

NOTIFICATIONS BY GOVERNMENT

ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE CHANGE AND FORESTS DEPARTMENT

NOTIFICATION OF "CAUVERY SOUTH WILDLIFE SANCTUARY" IN KRISHNAGIRI AND DHARMAPURI DISTRICTS UNDER THE WILD LIFE (PROTECTION) ACT, 1972

[G.O. Ms. No.193, Environment, Climate Change and Forests (FR.5), 7th November 2022, ஐப்பசி 21, சுபகிருது, திருவள்ளுவர் ஆண்டு-2053.]

No.II(2)/ECCF/584(b)/2022.

WHEREAS, the reserve forest areas of Anchetty taluk in Krishnagiri district and Pennagaram and Palacode taluks in Dharmapuri district, as specifi ed in the Schedule is located between the Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary of Tamil Nadu and the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in the State of Karnataka. The area has adequate ecological, faunal, and fl oral signifi cance and needs management as Wild Life Sanctuary for protecting and conserving wildlife, habitat and to mitigate human elephant confl ict;

AND WHEREAS, the area which measures 686.406 sq.km in extent, is an important elephant habitat in Southern India and is critical for a large number of riverine species dependent on River Cauvery. Reserve forests specifi ed in the Schedule form a unique ecosystem of the Cauvery basin and constitutes the last forested low-lying stretches of the Cauvery River before it enters the Stanley Reservoir;

AND WHEREAS, the area specifi ed in the Schedule is a large, contiguous network of Protected Areas, enabling uniform legal status and protection along both the banks of the River Cauvery for a stretch of over 50 kilometers. This landscape maintains further continuity to the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve through Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary, Billigiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve of Karnataka, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve and Erode Forest Division of Tamil Nadu;

AND WHEREAS, the area specifi ed in the Schedule is large and has two important elephant corridors identifi ed namely, the Nandimangalam-Ulibanda Corridor and the Kovaipallam–Anebiddahalla Corridor located in the area;

AND WHEREAS, the area specifi ed in the Schedule is rich in biodiversity with not less than 35 species of mammals and 238 species of birds. Some of the animals such as Leith's Soft-shelled turtles, Grizzled Giant Squirrel, Smooth-coated Otter, Marsh Crocodile, Four-horned Antelope, Lesser Fish Eagle etc., are almost exclusively dependent on the Cauvery River and its riverine forest ecosystem. They are also red-listed and in urgent need of focused conservation efforts and protection of their habitat;

AND WHEAREAS, successful tiger conservation in adjacent contiguous areas such as Male Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary and Bannerghatta National Park in Karnataka has created a spillover effect and Tigers have begun to occupy this traditional ranges where they had been locally extinct for a few decades. The forest areas of this Sanctuary are part of the same landscape and enhanced protection and habitat improvement will lead to recovery of prey base and the area can support tigers once again as it had in the past. It will also support the conservation of leopard and other red-listed large carnivores;

II-2 Ex. (511)

[ 1 ]2 TAMIL NADU GOVERNMENT GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY NOW, THEREFORE, in exercise of the powers conferred by clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 26-A of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (Central Act 53 of 1972), the Governor of Tamil Nadu, having considered that the area, declared as reserved forests under the Tamil Nadu Forest Act, 1882 (Tamil Nadu Act V of 1882) the boundaries of which are specifi ed in the Schedule below, is of adequate ecological, faunal, fl oral, natural and zoological signifi cance, for the purpose of protecting, propagating and developing Wildlife and its environment, hereby declares that the areas specifi ed in the Schedule below, shall be a Sanctuary, with effect on and from 08.11.2022.

T(cid:3472)(cid:3469) S(cid:3467)(cid:3472)(cid:3469)(cid:3468)(cid:3485)(cid:3476)(cid:3469).

(1) Name of the Districts : Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri

(2) Name of the Taluks : (a) Anchetty taluk in Krishnagiri district

(b) Pennagaram and Palacode taluks in Dharmapuri district (3) Name of the Sanctuary : Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary

(4) Area of the Sanctuary : 68,640.613 Hectare or

686.406 Square Kilometer

DETAILS OF RESERVED FORESTS

Name of the reserved forest

Sl.

No.

Total extent of Reserved Forest

(in hectares)

Extent of Sanctuary after

excluding roads (in hectares)

(1)

(2)

(3)

(4)

I. Krishnagiri district :

1 Kesthur reserve forest

5,855.460 5,855.460 2 Addition to Kesthur reserve forest 145.680

145.680 3 Kesthur Extension reserve forest 2,574.210 2,574.210 4 Manchugondapalli reserve forest 365.485 365.485 5 Bilikkal reserve forest

5,433.310 5,429.440 6 Urigam reserve forest

3,231.010 3,221.608 7 Mallahalli reserve forest

4,034.001 4,034.001 8 Thaggatti reserve forest

4,341.470 4,341.361 9 Ulibanda reserve forest

3,241.530 3,238.680 10 Ulibanda Extension reserve forest 62.580 62.580 11 Ubrani reserve forest

4,831.950 4,830.069 12 Natrampalayam reserve forest 4,986.941 4,981.590 13 Biligundlu Extn – II reserve forest 58.980 58.980 14 Biligundlu reserve forest

6,092.138 6,088.281 15 Woddapatty reserve forest

2,557.620 2,554.840 Total Extent in Krishnagiri District 47,812.365 47,782.265 II. Dharmapuri District:

16 Woddapatty (Part)

3,046.170 3,046.170 17 Gootyrayan (Part)

6,666.860 6,666.860 18 Morappur reserve forest

7,816.190 7,816.190 19 Kasaraguli reserve forest

3,290.940 3,284.608 20 Kasaraguli extension reserve forest 44.520 44.520 Total Extent in Dharmapuri district 20,864.680 20,858.348 Total Extent of the Sanctuary 68,677.045 68,640.613

BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION

West.-Starting from the Northern most point of Kesthur extension reserve forest at the Karnataka – Tamil Nadu Interstate boundary, the boundary of the Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary runs generally towards south along the western boundary of Kesthur Reserve forest, till it meets river Cauvery at the south western corner of Kesthur Reserve forest.

South.- Thence, from the south western corner of the Kesthur reserve forest, the boundary runs along the interstate boundary along the river Cauvery towards east, along the southern boundaries of the Kesthur reserve forest, Bilikkal reserve forest, Mallahalli reserve forest, Natrampalayam reserve forest and Woddapatty reserve forest of Krishnagiri district until it meets the Anebeddhamaduvu stream that runs from Woddapatty reserve forest of Krishnagiri district into Woddapatty reserve forest of Dharmapuri District and boundary continues in south east along the river line of the Anebeddhamaduvu stream in Woddapatty reserve forest of Dharmapuri district until the Anebeddhamaduvu stream joins Chinnar river at Woddapatty reserve forest of Dharmapuri District.

East.- Thence, the boundary runs generally in a North Easterly direction along the Woddapatti reserve forest of Dharmapuri District along Chinnar River passing through the eastern boundaries of Woddapatti, Gootirayan, Morappur, Kasaraguli reserve forests and from the north eastern end point of Kasarguli reserve forest, it turns north westerly directions and continues along northern boundary of Kasarguli reserve forest, Kasarguli Extn reserve forest until it meets the North Eastern boundary of Tholuvabetta Extension reserve forest of Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary.

North.- Thence, the boundary starts from inter district boundary where Tholuvabetta Extension Reserve forest of Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary of Krishnagiri district meets Kasarguli reserve forest of Dharmapuri District in their northern most point and runs southernly along the western boundary of Morappur reserve forest of Dharmapuri district and Guthirayan reserve forest (part) of Dharmapuri division until it joins the north eastern end point of Biligundlu reserve forest and runs along the northern and western boundary of Biligundlu reserve forest until it joins the Natrampalayam reserve forest. Thence it continues in a north westerly direction along the eastern boundary of Natrampalayam reserve forest and along the eastern boundary of Ubrani reserve forest near Shesharajapuram. Thence it continues in a northerly direction along the eastern boundary of Ubrani reserve forest until it meets the Anchetti village near Tamasenapalli. Thence, it continues along the northern boundary of Ubrani reserve forest and thence along the eastern boundary of Ulibanda reserve forest, until it reaches the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka interstate boundary. Thence it continues in a southernly direction along the interstate boundary and follows the western boundary of Ulibanda reserve forest. Thence, it continues along the northern boundary of Thaggatti reserve forest and along the eastern boundary of Urigam Reserve Forest in a North westernly direction until the Tamil Nadu Karnataka interstate boundary. Thence the boundary follows the Interstate boundary until it reaches the starting point.

EXCLUSIONS.-

The following roads, paths and enclosures shall be excluded from the Cauvery South Wildlife Sanctuary:-

1. Roads and Paths.

* All Geo co-ordinates are shown in Degree decimals (DD. DDDDDo) format and in World Geodetic System 1984.

2. ENCLOSURES.-

SUPRIYA SAHU,

Additional Chief Secretary to Government.

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