Wild Life Sanctuaries (WLS)

Wild Life Sanctuaries (WLS) Any area other than the area comprised with any reserve forest or the territorial waters can be notified by the State Government to constitute as a sanctuary if such area is of adequate ecological, faunal, floral, geomorphological, natural or zoological significance. This is for the purpose of protecting, endangered factual species. Some restricted human activities are allowed inside the Sanctuary area details of which are given in CHAPTER IV, of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) . Ecotourism is permitted, as long as animal life is undisturbed. There are existing wildlife sanctuaries in India covering an area of , km , which is . % of the geographical area of the country (National Wildlife Database, ). Sanctuaries are tracts of land where wild animals and fauna can take refuge without being hunted or poached. Other activities like collection of forest products, regulated harvesting of timber, private ownership of land are permitted. Periyar wild life sanctuary in Kerala is famous for the Indian Tiger and Asiatic Elephant (Table . ). Prominent WLS in Tamil Nadu Year of establishment Districts Vedanthangal Lake Birds WLS Chengalpet Mudumalai WLS Nilgiris Point Calimere WLS Nagapattinam Indira Gandhi (Annamalai) WLS Coimbatore Mundanthurai WLS Tirunelveli Table . Wild Life Sanctuaries in Tamil Nadu extremely high and protection of these hotspots could reduce the ongoing mass biodiversity loss.