The State government is planning to declare the 148-sq km buffer zone of the Silent Valley National Park the Bhavani-Kadalundi Wildlife Sanctuary to protect the rainforests and other biodiversity riches of the region.
A draft notification on constituting the sanctuary, sent by the Forest Department to the government, underlines the ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphologic, natural and zoological significance of the area. The State Wildlife Board, the authority to recommend the formation of wildlife sanctuaries, had given approval for forming the sanctuary at its meeting on November 30, 2010.
The national park had organised a workshop of stakeholders of the adjoining areas of the proposed sanctuary on January 12, 2011. S. Sivadas, Wildlife Warden of Silent Valley, says the workshop passed a resolution supporting the constitution of the sanctuary. The 20 grama panchayat presidents who participated only wanted protection for the people and the crops from attacks by wild animals.
The notification for the new sanctuary, he says, will supersede the notification of June 11, 2007 declaring the buffer zone. The government can declare the formation of the sanctuary under Sub-section (1)(b) of Section 26A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The sanctuary will have 109 sq km of it in the Mannarkkad forest division in Palakkad district and 39 sq km in the Nilambur South forest division in Malappuram.
The north-eastern border of the sanctuary will be Anginda (2,885 metres above sea level), along the inter-State boundary up to the Bhavani river.
The southern border is from Mandampottithodu towards the west, along the southern boundary of the Attappady forest range up to the north-eastern boundary of the Thatengalam vested forests of the Mannarkkad range. The western boundary is from the above point on the Palakkad-Malappuram district boundary towards the north. The northern boundary is from there towards the east along the left bank of the Kottapuzha river till the surveyed boundary of the Kozhipara Malavaram, says the Forest Department’ proposal to the government.
Only after declaring open the sanctuary will a working plan be evolved to demarcate the core and the buffer zones. The Silent Valley has a core area of 89.52 sq km.
Source:The Hindu,October 29, 2012