Srivilliputhur Wildlife Sanctuary (18402)
India, Asia
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: B2
Year of last assessment: 2007
National site name: Srivilliputhur Wildlife Sanctuary
Central coordinates: Latitude: 9.5212, Longitude: 77.4187
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 200 to 1200
Area of KBA (km2): 506.72865
Protected area coverage (%): 91.13
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Srivilliputtur Grizzled Giant Squirrel Wild Sanctuary is located about 40 km south of Madurai, north of Sivagiri Hills. Its southwestern boundary abuts Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala. The terrain is mostly undulating with high grassy and barren rocky peaks, while the slopes and deep valleys have very dense vegetation. Srivilliputur receives the major part of its annual rainfall from the northeast monsoon from October to November. It also receives heavy rain from the southwest monsoon. The vegetation of the Sanctuary consists of Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest, Tropical Moist Forest, and Tropical Thorn Forest. The Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest dominates in the eastern and lower altitude slopes. It is also an important habitat for the Grizzled Giant squirrel Ratufa macrura dandolena. The higher areas have Tropical Moist Deciduous Forest and Wet Evergreen Forests. The eastern lowlands have Tropical Thorn Forest.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs. KBA identified in the CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the Western Ghats Hotspot (2007). Taxonomy, nomenclature and threat status follow the 2002 IUCN Red List.
Additional biodiversity: AVIFAUNA: About 220 bird species have been recorded in this area, which includes 14 of the 16 restricted range and endemic species found in the Western Ghats (J. Joshua pers. comm. 2003). There is a clear evidence of change in species composition according to change in altitude and habitat. The valleys with Moist Deciduous, Semi-evergreen and Evergreen forests on the slopes are home to the Small Sunbird Nectarinia minima, White-bellied Treepie Dendrocitta leucogastra, White-bellied Blue Flycatcher Cyornis pallipes and many endemic species, that still exist in good numbers. The Nilgiri Wood-Pigeon Columba elphinstonii is also frequently sighted in this area. The raptors are well represented, with more than 14 species including the Critically Endangered Oriental White-bellied Vulture Gyps bengalensis and Long-billed Vulture G. indicus. Another raptor, the Rufousbellied Hawk Eagle Hieraaetus kienerii, also exists in this area. Three hornbill species, the Great Pied Hornbill Buceros bicornis, Malabar Pied-hornbill Anthracoceros coronatus and Malabar Grey Hornbill Ocyceros griseus can be sighted frequently. OTHER KEY FAUNA: The Grizzled Giant Squirrel Ratufa macroura dandolena is the most famous mammal of Srivilliputtur Sanctuary. It is endemic to the southern Western Ghats and Sri Lanka (Prater 1990). This Sanctuary has a viable breeding population of this rare animal. The other threatened mammals found here are Indian Giant Squirrel Ratufa indica indica, Slender Loris Loris tardigradus, Nilgiri Langur Trachypithecus johni, Lion-tailed Macaque Macaca silenus, Nilgiri Marten Martes gwatkinsi, Nilgiri Tahr Hemitragus hylocrius, Asiatic Elephant Elephas maximus, Gaur Bos frontalis and Indian Wild Dog Cuon alpinus. Nineteen species of reptiles were recorded during a study conducted by the World Wide Fund for Nature-India (Bhupathy and Kannan 2002). The following three species are endemic to the Western Ghats: Draco or Gliding Lizard Draco dussumieri, Large-scaled Calotes Calotes grandisquamis and Southern Green Calotes C. calotes (Malhotra and Davis 1991).
Habitats
Land use: nature conservation and research
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 100 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: MAIN THREATS: Poaching; Illicit cutting of trees; Over-grazing by livestock; Seasonal fires; Lopping for minor non-timber forest products. Habitat degradation is one of the major conservation issues in this Sanctuary. The last remaining population of the endangered Grizzled Giant Squirrel also faces heavy pressure, along with avifauna and larger mammals, because of habitat degradation mainly due to severe wood cutting for fuel and timber (Joshua and Johnsingh 1994). Forestry practices like monoculture, plantation and weed infestation in the forest should be controlled immediately. Joshua (1992) has reported that the Grizzled Giant squirrel greatly prefers Tamarindus indica trees, for foraging and nesting. There are pressures from the locals adjoining the forest, and from other areas of the nearest towns Srvilliputur and Rajapalayam. Srivilliputur, which is famed for milk products, that has a large population of livestock that uses this forest intensively. Livestock grazing must be stopped entirely. Effective biodiversity need to be implemented to ensure protection of biodiversity.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Wood & pulp plantations | Agro-industry plantations | Ongoing |
| Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases | Unspecified species | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Fire & fire suppression | Increase in fire frequency/intensity | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Gathering terrestrial plants | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
Additional information
References: Bhupathy, S. and P. Kannan (2002) Status of Agamid lizards in the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu, India. In: Biodiversity ‘Hot Spots’ conservation programme (BHCP). Final Report, Vol-I. Forests and Biodiversity Conservation Division, World Wide Fund for Nature-India, New Delhi. Pp.133-170. Joshua, J. (1992) Ecology of the endangered Grizzled Giant Squirrel (Ratufa macroura) in Tamil Nadu, South India. Ph.D. Thesis Submitted to Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli. 131pp. Joshua, J. and Johnsingh, A. J. T. (1994) Impact of biotic disturbances on the habitat and population of the endangered grizzled giant squirrel Ratufa macroura in south India. Biological Conservation 68:29-34. Malhotra, A. and Davis (1991) A report on a herpetological survey of the Srivilliputur Reserve Forest, Tamil Nadu. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc. 88: 157-166. Prater, S. H. (1980) The book of Indian animals. Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai.
Contributors: Key contributor: Justus Joshua.