AliciaPaschall at 12:01, 3 December 2025

2025-12-03T12:01:41Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2019}}
{{Infobox Government agency
|agency_name = Department of Environment and Forests (Tamil Nadu)
|nativename =
|nativename_a =
|nativename_r =
|logo =TamilNadu Logo.svg
|logo_width =
|logo_caption =
|seal =
|seal_width =
|seal_caption =
|formed ={{start date and years ago|1995|df=y|p=y|br=y}}
|preceding1 =
|preceding2 =
|dissolved =
|superseding =
|jurisdiction = [[Tamil Nadu]]
|headquarters = [[Chennai]]
|employees =
|budget =
|minister1_name =[[M. Mathiventhan]]
|minister1_pfo = Minister of Forests Department
|minister2_name = [[Meyyanathan Siva V|Siva. V. Meyyanathan]]
|minister2_pfo = Minister of Environment department
|chief1_name = Dr.P.Senthil Kumar, [[Indian Administrative Service|IAS]]
|chief1_position = Principal Secretary to Government
|chief2_name =
|chief2_position =
|parent_agency = [[Government of Tamil Nadu]]
|child1_agency =
|child2_agency =
|website = [http://www.tn.gov.in/department/8 Environment and Forests Department]
|footnotes =
}}

The '''Department of Environment and Forests''' is one of the [[Tamil Nadu Government's Departments|departments]] of [[Government of Tamil Nadu]]. The department was created in 1995 and is responsible for environmental management and forests in the state.

== Forests ==
[[Tamil Nadu Forest Department]] is the nodal agency responsible for the protection and management of forests in the state.<ref name="Gov">{{cite web|url=http://www.tn.gov.in/department/8|title=Environment and Forests department|publisher=[[Government of Tamil Nadu]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> Forests occupy an area of {{convert|22,643|km2|abbr=on}} constituting 17.4% of the geographic area.<ref name="TNAU">{{cite web|publisher=[[Government of Tamil Nadu]]|url=https://agritech.tnau.ac.in/forestry/forest_wildlife_resources_index.html|title=Forest Wildlife resources|access-date=1 February 2023}}</ref> The state has varies forest [[ecosystem]]s with the [[Western Ghats]] being one of the eight hottest [[biodiversity hotspot]]s in the world and a UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1342/multiple=1&unique_number=1921|title=Western Ghats|publisher=[[UNESCO]]|access-date=21 February 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite report|url=https://era-india.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/South-Western-Ghats-Montane-Rainforest.pdf|title=South Western Ghats montane rain forests|publisher=Ecological Restoration Alliance|access-date=15 April 2006}}</ref> There are about 2,000 species of wildlife that are native to Tamil Nadu and more than 5900 species of plants.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://tnenvis.nic.in/tnenvis_old/forest.htm|title=Forests of Tamil Nadu|publisher=ENVIS|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref>

The department is also responsible for the management of wildlife protection areas.<ref name="Gov1">{{cite web|url=https://cms.tn.gov.in/sites/default/files/documents/forests_e_pn_2023_24.pdf|title=Forests department policy note 2023-24|publisher=[[Government of Tamil Nadu]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> Protected areas cover an area of {{convert|3305|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, constituting 2.54% of the geographic area and 15% of the {{convert|22643|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} recorded forest area of the state.<ref name="TNAU"/> Important ecological regions of Tamil Nadu are the [[Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve]] in the [[Nilgiri Hills]], the [[Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve]] in the [[Agastya Mala]]-[[Cardamom Hills]] and [[Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park|Gulf of Mannar]] coral reefs.<ref>{{cite report|url=http://moef.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/biosphere.pdf|title=Biosphere Reserves in India|publisher=Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change|date=2019|access-date=5 February 2020}}</ref> The state has five [[National parks of India|National Parks]], 18 [[Protected areas of India#Wildlife sanctuaries|wildlife sanctuaries]], five elephant sanctuaries as per [[Project Elephant]], five [[tiger reserves of India|tiger reserves]] as per [[Project Tiger]] and seventeen bird sanctuaries in Tamil Nadu.<ref>{{cite book|last=Panwar|first=H. S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YdC-wfyZwZEC&pg=PA110|title=Project Tiger: The reserves, the tigers, and their future|publisher=Noyes Publications, Park Ridge, N.J.|pages=110–117|year=1987|isbn=978-0-8155-1133-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mysore/Project_elephant_status_for_Bhadra_sanctuary/articleshow/4066438.cms|title=Project Elephant Status|date=2 February 2009|newspaper=[[Times of India]]|access-date=24 February 2009}}</ref><ref name="ENVIS">{{cite web|title=Bio-Diversity and Wild Life in Tamil Nadu|url=http://tnenvis.nic.in/Database/SoilResources_1171.aspx|publisher=ENVIS|access-date=15 March 2018}}</ref> There is one conservation reserve, two [[List of protected areas in India#Zoos|zoos]] recognised by the [[Central Zoo Authority of India]] and five [[crocodile farm]]s.<ref>{{cite web|title=Guindy Children's Park upgraded to medium zoo|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/chennai/2022/jul/28/guindy-childrens-park-upgraded-to-medium-zoo-2481397.html|date=28 July 2022|access-date=31 October 2022|newspaper=[[The New Indian Express]]}}</ref> The department also manages the Government Rubber Corporation, Tamil Nadu Forest Plantation Corporation Limited (TAFCORN), Tamil Nadu Tea Plantation Corporation (TANTEA) and Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation And Greening Society (TNBCGS).<ref name="Gov1"/>

== Environment ==
The Environment department is responsible for [[pollution control]] across various ecosystems through the [[Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board]].<ref name="Gov2">{{cite web|url=https://cms.tn.gov.in/sites/default/files/documents/ecc_e_pn_2023_24.pdf|title=Environment department policy note 2023-24|publisher=[[Government of Tamil Nadu]]|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> The department formulates policies to mitigate the impact of pollution in water bodies, control of air and noise pollution, [[climate change adaptation]] and coastal regulation.<ref name="Gov2"/>

== See also ==
* [[Government of Tamil Nadu]]
* [[Tamil Nadu Government's Departments]]
* [[Ministry of Environment and Forests (India)]]
* [[Department of Environment (Kerala)]]
* [[Van Vigyan Kendra|Van Vigyan Kendra (VVK)]] Forest Science Centres

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.tn.gov.in/department/8 Official website of the Tamil Nadu Forests and Environment Department]
* [http://www.tn.gov.in Official website of Government of Tamil Nadu]

{{Government Departments of Tamil Nadu}}

[[Category:Government departments of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:State forest departments of India|Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Subnational environment ministries|Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Environment of Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:1995 establishments in Tamil Nadu]]

Department of Environment and Forests - Revision history

AliciaPaschall at 12:01, 3 December 2025