Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary (18030)
India, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2018
National site name: Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary
Central coordinates: Latitude: 14.6400, Longitude: 78.6700
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 150 to 784
Area of KBA (km2): 483.57011
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary, situated in the Lankamalai Hill ranges, is about 30 km from Cuddapah. This sanctuary was declared mainly for the Critically Endangered Jerdon’s Courser Rhinoptilus bitorquatus after its rediscovery in 1986 (Bhushan 1986). The major types of forest in this Sanctuary are Southern Tropical Thorn and Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous (Champion and Seth 1968). The Sanctuary bears dry deciduous forest in the higher elevations to scrub forest in the plains. Major floristic components of the scrub forest are thorny species of Acacia, Zizyphus and Carissa, and non-thorny species of Cassia, Hardwickia and Anogeissus. The Red Sandal Pterocarpus santalinus, endemic to Andhra Pradesh, occurs here.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: AVIFAUNA: Nearly 200 bird species are found in this Sanctuary (P. Jeganathan and A. R. Rahmani in prep.). The Critically Endangered Jerdon’s Courser was restricted to a small patch of scrub jungle within this Sanctuary. Recent studies reveal that this bird is found in three more localities within the Sanctuary (Jeganathan 2002). The Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary has been selected on the basis of presence of a single species. It is a Secondary Area where a single Restricted Range species is found (Stattersfield et al. 1998). OTHER KEY FAUNA: Although the Sanctuary was declared with the sole purpose of protecting the habitat of the Jerdon’s Courser, many other species have benefited, perhaps more than the target species! Leopard Panthera pardus, Dhole or Indian Wild Dog Cuon alpinus, Sloth Bear Melursus ursinus, Chital Axis axis, Sambar Cervus unicolor, Chinkara Gazella bennettii and Wild Boar Sus scrofa are seen in the forested areas. Even the Wolf Canis lupus has been sighted a couple of times since the year 2000 (P. Jeganathan pers. comm. 2001).
Habitats
Land use: agriculture
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 50 | |
| Shrubland | 50 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: MAIN THREATS: Quarrying on the hills; Developmental activities; Clearing the scrub jungle for lemon farms; Habitat alteration by introduction of exotic plants. The major land use around the Sanctuary is agriculture, mainly for paddy, sunflower and cotton and in recent times sweet lime farming. Developmental activities such as construction of check dams, percolation ponds and trenching also carried on. The scrub jungle is being cleared to provide space for local people and for lemon farms, which is most alarming. Collection of fuel wood, illegal felling of trees, poaching of small animals and poisoning the water holes to kill deer and antelopes is known to occur in the Sanctuary.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Unspecified species | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use | Small dams | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Bhushan, B. (1986) Rediscovery of the Jerdon’s Courser Cursorius bitorquatus. J. Bombay. Nat. Hist. Soc. 83: 1-14. Champion, H. G. and Seth, S. K. (1968) A Revised Survey of the Forest Types of India. Government of India Press, New Delhi. Jeganathan, P. (2002) Red Data bird revisited: Jerdon’s Courser. World Birdwatch 24(4): 19-21. Stattersfield, A. J., Crosby, M. J., Long, A. J. and Wege, D. C. (1998) Endemic Bird Areas of the World, Priorities for Biodiversity Conservation. BirdLife Conservation Series No. 7, BirdLife International, U.K.
Contributors: Key contributor: Panchapakesan Jeganathan.