Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (PNP) is a protected area in the districts of Idukki and Pathanamthitta in Kerala, India. It is a well-known home to elephants and tigers. The protected area covers 925 square kilometers, with 350.54 square kilometers of the main area declared as Periyar National Park in 1982. The park is home to rare, unique, and endangered plants and animals. It also serves as an important source of water for two major rivers in Kerala: the Periyar and the Pamba.

The park is located in the Cardamom Hills and Pandalam Hills, which are part of the Western Ghats in southern India, near the border with Tamil Nadu. It is 4 kilometers from Kumily and Thekkady, 86 kilometers southeast of Thodupuzha, 103 kilometers east of Kottayam, 110 kilometers west of Madurai, and 147 kilometers southeast of Kochi.

History

In 1934, the Maharaja of Travancore, Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, took the first official step to protect wildlife and biodiversity in Kerala. He declared the forests around Periyar Lake a private reserve to stop tea plantations from spreading into the area. This reserve was called Nellikkampatty Reserve. In 1950, after India's political integration, the reserve was combined into a wildlife sanctuary. It was added to Project Tiger, a national government program, and renamed the Periyar Tiger Reserve in 1978.

Geography

Periyar National Park is located in the center of the Cardamom Hills, a mountainous region. The northern boundary begins near Medaganam on the state border and extends to Vellimalai. To the east, the boundary follows the state border from Vellimalai to Kallimalai Peak, which is 1,615 meters high. This area is surrounded by mountain ridges over 1,700 meters (5,600 feet) high. To the west, the park spreads into a plateau that is 1,200 meters (3,900 feet) high. From this height, the land drops sharply to the lowest point in the reserve, a 100-meter valley where the Pamba River flows. The highest point in the park is Kottamala, which is 2,019 meters (6,624 feet) high. It is the southernmost peak in India over 2,000 meters (6,562 feet) tall. Other notable peaks in the park include Pachayarmala, Vellimala, Sunderamala, Chokkampetti Mala, and Karimala. The land has steep and rolling hills covered with dense forests.

Periyar Lake, a reservoir that is 31 kilometers (12 miles) long, is surrounded by the sanctuary. The lake was created when the Mullaperiyar Dam was built in 1895. The lake and the Periyar River flow around the forested hills, offering a constant water supply for the area's wildlife.

Climate

The temperature changes based on altitude, ranging from 15 °C in December and January to 31 °C in April and May. Yearly precipitation is between 2000 and 3000 mm, with about two-thirds happening during the southwest monsoon from June to September. The rest happens during the northeast monsoon from October to December. Summers are warm, with some precipitation in April, and winters are cold.

Boundaries

• North: The boundary begins at the point closest to Medaganam on the interstate boundary and continues to Vellimalai.
• East: Then, the boundary follows the inter-state boundary from Vellimalai to Kallimalai Peak (1615 m).
• South: Then, the boundary moves along the main ridge to Chokkampettymalai Peak (1805 m). From there, it continues along the main ridge to Udumalai (1594 m), which is the same boundary that separates Ranni Forest Division and the existing Periyar Tiger Reserve.
• West: Then, the boundary moves directly north along the main ridge that divides the Periyar Tiger Reserve and Ranni Forest Division to Manikamalai. From there, it follows the ridge to Sundaramalai (1813 m). From Sundaramalai, the boundary continues along the main ridge to Mangaladevi top (1737 m), and then to Pachimalai top (1805 m). From Pachimalai top, the boundary follows the Nallah along its bank, which flows from Mannarkavala. It then continues along the Cherakottai River until it joins Periyar Lake between Pandaravaramalai and Poupara.

Flora

The park includes Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, montane grasslands and shrublands, montane savannas, human-made eucalyptus forests, wetlands, and lake and river ecosystems. A total of 1,965 types of flowering plants (including species and smaller groups) have been collected and described from the park. These include 17 species that may be extinct. Of these flowering plant types, about 171 grass species and 140 orchid species have been recorded in the park. Grasses grow in open grasslands near water bodies and in mountain areas where fire-resistant plants and dense grasses like elephant grass are found. Herbivores such as sambar deer, Asian elephants, gaur, and wild boar are often seen grazing in these areas.

The forests contain deciduous, evergreen, and semi-evergreen trees, such as teak, rosewood, terminalia, sandalwood, mango, jamun, tamarind, banyan, sacred fig, kino tree, bamboo, Diospyros bourdillonii, Hopea parviflora, Dipterocarpus indicus, Semecarpus travancoricus, and the only south Indian conifer, Nageia wallichiana. The medicinal gloriosa lily grows in the park. Native plants found only in this area include Habenaria periyarensis and Syzygium periyarense.

The park is surrounded by agricultural areas, especially regions where crops like tea, cardamom, and coffee are grown.

Fauna

The park is home to 35 species of mammals, many of which are in danger of disappearing. It is an important area for protecting tigers and elephants. In 2017, 40 Bengal tigers were counted in 925 square kilometers of the park. The park is also important for Asian elephants, and a few white tigers live there. Other mammals include gaur, sambar, wild pig, Indian giant squirrel, Travancore flying squirrel, jungle cat, Dhole, sloth bear, Nilgiri tahr, lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, Salim Ali's fruit bat, stripe-necked mongoose, and Nilgiri marten.

About 266 bird species can be seen in the park, including birds that travel to the area from other places. Birds that are found only in this region include the Malabar grey hornbill, Nilgiri wood pigeon, blue-winged parakeet, Nilgiri flycatcher, crimson-backed sunbird, white-bellied redstart, and black-necked stork.

A survey from December 1–4, 2016, organized by the Periyar Tiger Reserve, discovered 13 new bird species and 16 new butterfly species that had not been found before. These bird species included the Eurasian woodcock (Scolopax rusticola), steppe gull (Larus fuscus barbensis), grey-necked bunting (Emberiza bruniceps), and paddyfield warbler (Acrocephalus agricola).

The park has 45 reptile species, including 30 snakes, 13 lizards, and 2 turtles. Snake species include the king cobra, Malabar pit viper, and striped coral snake.

Amphibians in the park include caecilians, frogs, and toads. Species found here are the Malabar gliding frog, Asian toad, fungoid frog, and bicolored frog.

About 40 fish species live in the park’s lakes and rivers. These include Periyar trout, Periyar latia, Periyar barb, channa barb, and Travancore loach.

The park is home to about 160 butterfly species, including South India’s largest butterfly, the southern birdwing. Other species include the lime butterfly, Malabar tree nymph, Indian awlking, Evershed’s ace (found only in the South Western Ghats), southern spotted ace (found in the southern Western Ghats), Madras ace, the highly threatened Travancore evening brown (found only in cane brakes), and several uncommon Mycalesis species (bushbrowns), some of which are found only in the Western Ghats. Many types of moths, such as the Southern Atlas moth, also live in the park.

In October 2017, a survey by the Periyar Tiger Conservation Foundation, Indian Dragonfly Society, and the Forest and Wildlife Department found 77 species of odonata, including the Asian emerald (Hemicordulia asiatica). Another survey in September 2018 found eight additional new species.

History

• 1895 – Construction of the Mullaperiyar Dam began
• 1899 – Periyar Lake Reserve was created
• 1933 – S.C.H. Robinson became the first game warden
• 1934 – Nellikkampatty Game Sanctuary was established
• 1950 – Periyar was officially recognized as a wildlife sanctuary
• 1978 – Periyar was declared a tiger reserve
• 1982 – The core area of the reserve was notified as a national park
• 1991 – The area was included in Project Elephant
• 1996 – The India Eco-development Project was launched
• 2001 – Periyar was divided into two parts: Periyar East and Periyar West
• 2004 – Periyar Foundation was formed
• 2007 – 148 km of the Goodrical Range was added to the reserve
• 2011 – Periyar Tiger Reserve was rated "very good" by the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests
• 2012 – 148 km of evergreen forest at Ponnambalamedu was added to the reserve

Ecosystem valuation

It is estimated that the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) provides benefits worth 17.6 billion rupees each year, with 190,000 rupees per hectare. Important ecosystem services include protecting plant and animal genes (7.86 billion rupees), providing water to districts in Tamil Nadu (4.05 billion rupees), offering homes and safe areas for wildlife (3.55 billion rupees), creating jobs for local communities (25 million rupees), cleaning water for nearby towns and districts (483 million rupees), and providing recreational value (425 million rupees).