Tamil Nadu forest department sanctions additional funds for tiger conservation

Home to about 300 tigers, Tamil Nadu will now spend more on tiger conservation as the Forest Department has released funds for newly carved out and existing tiger reserves in the State

Sources said that the government will spend Rs 6 to 7 crore towards tiger protection in TN. The Central and State governments will release the funds in installments with both the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the State sharing the funds.

The newly carved out Megamalai will receive Rs 4.25 crore with the State providing Rs 2.12 crore. Similarly, an administrative sanction of Rs 1.89 crore has been cleared for the Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. 

For the Sathyamangalam tiger reserve, the State and the Centre will spend another Rs 5 crore, sources said. “Investment in tiger reserves will further aid employment generation, fishing, fodder, wildlife tourism, fuelwood, the perennial flow of the river, water purification, prevention of soil erosion, nutrient retention, biological control, pollination, climate regulation, and exchange of gene pool among wild animals,” said conservationist A Kumaruguru, member, Sathyamangalam Tiger Conservation Authority.

Last year, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department had received an update from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), coming under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, that it will start funding tiger conservation activities in the newly carved out Srivilliputhur – Megamalai tiger reserve (SMTR) and now, funds have started coming in, said a senior Forest Department official.

Tamil Nadu has five tiger reserves including Sathyamangalam, Mudumalai, Kalakad Mundanthurai, Megamalai and Anamalai. According to Department sources, NTCA funds more than 50 tiger reserves across the country based on the tiger population and the forest cover every year. The sources added that wildlife tourism in the area will now be regularised with standard safety protocols. 

“This funding is also crucial to educate people on water conservation and provide job opportunities for local tribes and people living close to the forest area,” an official said.