5 months ago
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Thanks to determination biodiversity enhancement efforts, the blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) colonisation astatine the sanctuary successful Vallanadu has witnessed a surge, signaling a full of 300 successful 2023-2024 census. It was astir 260 successful 2022-2023.
The sanctuary, established successful 1987 and spanning 1,641 hectares, is 1 of the fewer earthy habitats of the blackbuck, an endangered taxon included successful the Schedule-I of The Wildlife Protection Act,1972.
In Vallanadu, the numbers were astir 140 successful 2014-2015 and astir 160 successful 2016-2017. Although the sanctuary is extensively spread, it gradually became overrun with dense bushes, which made conditions hard for the blackbuck to thrive, arsenic they are quintessential unfastened onshore animals that flourish connected grasslands.
In bid to marque conditions much situation friendly, the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening task for Climate Change Response (TBGPCCR) has undertaken an inaugural to reconstruct the grasslands and truthful acold astir 50 hectares of onshore person been restored with autochthonal grass, creating favourable conditions for the blackbucks.
Apart from blackbucks, the sanctuary besides records 300 spotted cervid and 150 sambar deer, on with different flora and fauna.
Speaking to The Hindu, Thoothukudi District Forest Officer M. Ilayaraja emphasised that grasslands were captious for the endurance and sustenance of the blackbuck. “As the sanctuary presently faces threats from invasive works species, including Acacia senegal, elaborate mapping of invasive taxon person been completed and removal of the taxon volition beryllium carried retired successful phases.”
Mapping of existing autochthonal writer patches had been completed and further restoration would beryllium carried retired based connected technological assessment. Further, feral cattle entering the sanctuary had been stopped and astir 150 abandoned cattle had been spotted wrong the sanctuary limits. Action had been taken to transport them to goshala.
On the projected enactment program for the sanctuary, helium said that to fortify technological knowing and semipermanent conservation planning, systematic biodiversity documentation would beryllium undertaken, with peculiar accent connected taxa specified arsenic butterflies, reptiles and raptors.
“The sanctuary supports an fantabulous and divers colonisation of raptors, making it an important raptor situation successful confederate Tamil Nadu,” helium added.
