IraNguyen82392 at 23:46, 22 February 2026

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{{Short description|Tiger reserve in Tamil Nadu, India}}
{{use Indian English|date=May 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox Protected area
| name = Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
| native_name =
| iucn_category = IV
| image = The gaur bull near waterhole KMTR AJTJ.jpg
| image_caption = Gaur in Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
| map = India Tamil Nadu#India
| relief = 1
| coordinates = {{coord|8|41|N|77|19|E|display=inline,title}}
| established = 1988
| area_km2 = 1,601.54
| elevation = 1800
| governing_body =
| website = {{URL|https://kmtr.co.in/}}
}}

'''Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve''' (KMTR) located in the [[South Western Ghats montane rain forests]] in [[Tirunelveli district]] and [[Kanyakumari district]] in the [[South India]]n state of [[Tamil Nadu]], is the second-largest protected area in Tamil Nadu. It is part of the [[Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Agasthyamala {{!}} United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization |url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/asia-and-the-pacific/india/agasthyamala/ |website=www.unesco.org |access-date=7 December 2020}}</ref>

==History==
The Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve was created in 1988 by combining [[Kalakad]] Wildlife Sanctuary (251 km2) and Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary (567 km2), both established in 1962. Notification of 77 km2 of parts of Veerapuli and Kilamalai Reserve Forests in adjacent [[Kanyakumari district]], added to the reserve in April 1996, is pending. A {{convert|400|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} core area of this reserve has been proposed as a [[National parks of India|national park]].<ref>ENVIS [https://web.archive.org/web/20070109172625/http://www.wii.gov.in/nwdc/list_proposednp.pdf List of Proposed National Parks in India], 2006</ref>

The continuation of "[[Project Tiger]]" in Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve for fiscal year 2010–2011, at the cost of Rs. 19,433,000, was approved by the [[National Tiger Conservation Authority]] on 28 August 2010.<ref name="NTCA">{{citation
|url = http://projecttiger.nic.in/sanction/S2010/Sanction_KMTR_2010_11.pdf
|title = Centrally Sponsored Plan Scheme 'Project Tiger' Administrative Approval for funds release to Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu during 2010-11.
|work = No. 4-1(32)/2010-PT
|author = S.P. Yadav, Deputy Inspector General of Forests (PT)
|publisher = National Tiger Conservation Authority
|date = 28 August 2010
|place = New Delhi
|access-date = 2 February 2011
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110106075115/http://projecttiger.nic.in/sanction/S2010/Sanction_KMTR_2010_11.pdf
|archive-date = 6 January 2011
|url-status = dead
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Thamirabarani.jpg|thumb|River Thamirabarani ]]
The reserve is located between latitude 8° 25' and 8° 53' N and longitude 77° 10' and 77° 35' E, about 45 km west of [[Tirunelveli]] City, and forms the [[Drainage basin|catchment area]] for 14 rivers and streams. Among these rivers and streams, the Ganga, [[Thamirabarani River|Thamirabarani]], Ramanadi, Karayar, Servalar, [[Manimuthar River (tributary of Thamirabarani)|Manimuthar]], Pachayar, Kodaiyar, [[Gadananathi River]], and Kallar form the backbone of the irrigation network and drinking water for the people of [[Tirunelveli]], Tuticorin and part of [[Kanyakumari District]]. Seven major dams—Karaiyar, Lower Dam, Servalar, Manimuthar, Ramanadi, [[Gadananathi River]] and Kodaiyar—owe their existence to these rivers.

The reserve spans a range of 40 to 1,800 m in elevation. [[Agasthiyamalai]] (1681 m.) is in the core zone of the reserve.<ref>Tamil Nadu Forest Dept. [http://www.forests.tn.nic.in/WildBiodiversity/tr_kmtr.html Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081227230650/http://www.forests.tn.nic.in/WildBiodiversity/tr_kmtr.html |date=27 December 2008 }}, 2007</ref>

== Conservation ==
KMTR forms part of the inter-state ([[Kerala]] and Tamil Nadu) [[Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve]].<ref>Samrakshan, PEACE–ELDF, "Lessons Learned from Eco-Development Experiences in India", June 2004, pp 255-275.[http://projecttiger.nic.in/pdf/peace.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928005012/http://projecttiger.nic.in/pdf/peace.pdf|date=28 September 2007}}</ref> This part of [[Agastya Mala]] hills in the core of KMTR is considered one of the five centres of [[biodiversity]] and [[endemism]] in India by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] (IUCN). The [[Western Ghats]], Agasthyamalai Sub-Cluster, including all of Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, is under consideration by the [[UNESCO]] [[World Heritage Site#World Heritage Committee Session|World Heritage Committee]] for selection as a [[World Heritage Site]].<ref name="UNESCO">UNESCO, World Heritage sites, Tentative lists, Western Ghats sub cluster, Agasthyamalai. retrieved 20 April 2007 [https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/2103/ World Heritage sites, Tentative lists]</ref>

The [[Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment]] has developed and implemented a [[Wildlife conservation|conservation]] intervention program in KMTR to decrease local villagers' dependency on the forests for fuel to and build community awareness about the value of biodiversity in the area.<ref>Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment [http://www.atree.org/conliv_kmtr.html ATREE] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070315112150/http://www.atree.org/conliv_kmtr.html |date=15 March 2007 }}</ref>

[https://web.archive.org/web/20070628195712/http://www.atree.org/Agasthya_1-1.pdf "Agasthya"], the KMTR newsletter, includes updates on research projects and staff activities at KMTR. The contents of the first issue included: "A Sanctuary for ''[[Cycas]] circinalis''", "Tiger Almost", "Round in Agasthyamalai in Fourteen Days", "Corridors - It is Just Not for the Four Legged Furry Creatures", "Behaviour and Movement of [[Nilgiri Langur]] in the Upper [[Kodayar]] Range – KMTR", "[[Canopy (forest)|Canopy]] News", "Agasthya Village Commons and Backyards to Meet the [[Biomass]] Requirements: An Experiment with [[Panchayat Raj]] and Women [[Collective]]s", "Bi-Lingual Field Guide Test Run", "Snippets from the Field", "[[Cullenia]] exarillata: A Keystone Species for Birds?" and "Tea, Tiger and Oranges".<ref>Ganesh T. (March 2007) "''Agasthya''" ATREE, Bangalore, retrieved 3 April 2007 [http://atree.org/Agasthya_1-1.pdf "''Agasthya''"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070628195712/http://www.atree.org/Agasthya_1-1.pdf |date=28 June 2007 }}</ref>

Tigers are also protected in Tamil Nadu at [[Mudumalai National Park]], [[Indira Gandhi National Park|Indira Gandhi National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary]], [[Mukurthi National Park]] and [[Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary]].<ref>Wildlife Institute of India, Species Database, National Wildlife Database, Status and Distribution of Tiger (Panthera tigris).[https://web.archive.org/web/20070927222541/http://www.wii.gov.in/nwdc/status_distribution_tiger.pdf National Wildlife Database].</ref>

== Flora and fauna ==
[[File:Nilgiri Langur,Manjolai.jpg|thumb|Nilgiri langur in Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve ]]
[[File:Kottangathatti Kalakad hills April 1983 AJTJ.tif|thumb|Forest in Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve]]
[[File:Feral buffaloes AJTJohnsingh.jpg|thumb|Feral water buffalos in Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve]]
KMTR has at least 150 [[Endemism|endemic]] plants, 33 fish, 37 [[amphibians]], 81 [[reptiles]], 273 birds and 77 [[mammal]] species. As per the 2018 census, the tiger population is 16 to 18. Other animals in the tiger reserve include leopards, elephants, Nilgiri tahr, Nilgiri langur, wild boar, chithal, sambar deer, leopard cat, jungle cat and 67 other mammal species.{{cn|date=November 2021}}

Habitat use by the [[grey junglefowl]] (''Gallus sonneratii'') at Mundanthurai plateau, Tamil Nadu, was investigated from December 1987 to March 1988.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Sathyakumar, S. |year=2006 |title=Habitat use by Grey Junglefowl ''Gallus sonneratii'' Temminck at Mundanthurai Plateau, Tamil Nadu |journal=Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society |volume=103 |issue=1 |pages=57–61 |url=http://www.bnhs.org/bo/documents/JBNHS_103_1/Sathyakumar.pdf |archive-date=6 July 2010 |access-date=9 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100706044828/http://www.bnhs.org/bo/documents/JBNHS_103_1/Sathyakumar.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Settlements==
The Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve has a large number of employees of the Electricity Board and Public Works Department who stay in three colonies and work at Karayar, Upper Dam, Servalar and Upper Kodayar reservoirs within the reserve. [[Bombay Burmah Trading Corporation]] has a 33.88 km2 land in the core area of the reserve leased from singampatti zamin valid until 2028. The company has tea and coffee plantations and three factories, and employs about 10,000 workers in the reserve.

There are several small estates and five [[Kani tribe|Kani]] Tribal habitations, consisting of about 102 families. About 145 hamlets situated within 5 km of the 110 km eastern boundary of the reserve are inhabited by 100,000 people. There are about 50,000 cattle grazing out of these fringe villages, with a small number of cattle owned by the tea estate workers and residents of the electricity board colonies.<ref>Project Tiger, Reserve Guide: Kalakad–Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, retrieved 13 May 2007 [http://projecttiger.nic.in/kalakad.htm Kalakad–Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130726142047/http://projecttiger.nic.in/kalakad.htm |date=26 July 2013 }}</ref>

On 18 January 2018, the state government passed instructions to the Tirunelveli district collector and the state forest department to notify the entire area that originates at [[Thamirabarani River|Thamirabharani]] river as a reserve forest. The state forest department sought the government to convert all tea estate areas leased out to private parties to be brought back under the forest cover. On 12 January 2018, the governor of the state declared new forest boundaries for Kalakad and Mundanthurai that caters water to five southern districts.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/190118/kmtr-to-be-free-without-human-habitation.html|title=KMTR to be free without human habitation|date=2018-01-19|work=[[Deccan Chronicle]]|access-date=2018-05-07|language=en}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Tiger reserves of India]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
*[https://www.dinamani.com/tamilnadu/2018/jan/03/முண்டந்துறை-புலிகள்-சரணாலயத்தில்-சுற்றுலாவுக்கு-இணைய-சேவை-தொடக்கம்-2837635.html Dinamani - Website opened for Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve]
*[https://tamil.oneindia.com/news/tamilnadu/website-opened-thirunelveli-tiger-sanctuary-307253.html Oneindia - Tourism Website for Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve]
*https://www.thehindu.com/news/states/tamil-nadu/article2334108.ece
*[https://kmtr.co.in/ Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve]

{{Commons category|Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve}}

{{Tiger Reserves of India}}{{Protected areas of Tamil Nadu}}{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Tiger reserves of India]]
[[Category:Tirunelveli district]]
[[Category:South Western Ghats montane rain forests]]
[[Category:Wildlife sanctuaries of the Western Ghats]]
[[Category:Wildlife sanctuaries in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:1988 establishments in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 2008]]

Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve - Revision history

IraNguyen82392 at 23:46, 22 February 2026