During the 19th century, the forested areas of Parambikulam were administered as the Sungam Forest Reserve and Parambikulam Forest Reserve. Porter's initial management plan for the Sungam Reserve Forest, published in 1886, marked the beginning of extensive logging for valuable timber. In Parambikulam, teak planting started in 1921, and the final plantation was established in 1983. In his first working plan for the Parambikulam Forest Reserve, Shri T.P. Viswanathan recommended artificial regeneration of and other valuable timber species, particularly to address historical overexploitation.
The Taungya cultivation system was used to grow and manage teak plantations. J. C. Kohloff created the idea for the tramway in 1894, and Alwar Chetty put it into action in 1900. The tramway began operating in 1907. This hastened the exploitation of timber up until the Special Financing Committee's 1926 recommendation and eventual repeal of the system in 1951.
Six ranges were established along with a special Teak Plantation Division in 1962 that included the Parambikulam Forest Reserve. State Wildlife Preservation Officer Peerumedu was given administrative charge over the Sungam Forest Reserve after it was designated as a Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary. Later in 1973, the DFO TP Division and DFO Nemmara were given dual responsibility over a total area of 271 km2 after the Teak Plantation Division was disbanded and combined with the notified sanctuary. The sanctuary was finally formally reorganized in 1985 and expanded to a length of 285 km2. 14.39 hectares of the sanctuary were taken off the de-notification list in 1996 for the Karappara-Konarkutty multipurpose project, which has not yet been carried out. The Parambikulam Tiger Reserve recently identified 235 km2 of the Sanctuary as core or important tiger habitat. Later in 2009, Prambikulam Tiger Reserve took on its current form, with 231.16 sq. km of butter and 412.50 sq. km of core areas.
The sanctuary's three reservoirs cover an area of around 20.65 square kilometers. With 87 km2 of teak plantations, it has long been known for its biodiversity, particularly the sightings of larger species. The Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary of Tamil Nadu borders the sanctuary on the north and east. The remainder of the region is surrounded by the Nemmara, Vazhachal, and Chalakudy Forest Divisions and is a part of a wider environment that spans around 4500 km2. 390.89 sq. km have been designated as core areas and 252.77 sq. km as buffer areas out of a total area of 643.66 sq. km.
GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES
Geographically speaking, the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary is located between latitudes 100 20' and 100 26' North and longitudes 760 35' and 760 50' East. The sanctuary is located in Kerala's Chittur taluk, which is part of the Palakkad revenue district. The Pollachi and Valparai taluks of the Coimbatore district in Tamil Nadu, as well as the Thrissur and Mukundapuram taluks of the Thrissur district in Kerala, surround the sanctuary. Mountainous terrain can be found in the Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, with elevations ranging from 300 to 1438 meters above mean sea level.
Both the north-west and north-east monsoons provide rain to the sanctuary, but the former is the one that is primarily responsible for the total amount of precipitation that has been seen there. Additionally, April and May experience pre-monsoon precipitation. The sanctuary is more or less perpetually moist due to the intense rainfall that is available for nearly six months. In the past 11 years, August 2000 saw the sanctuary's greatest rainfall total (697mm). With a monthly average of merely 3.24mm. January has regularly been the best month during the past 11 years. The wettest month thus far was July, with an average monthly rainfall of 456mm. According to annual rainfall data, 1992 was the wettest year with 236 mm of total precipitation, while 1993 was relatively the wettest year with just 1,400 mm. According to annual average data, the year 2000 saw the highest annual average rainfall, at 192 mm, and the lowest, at 114.68 mm. This shows that as temperatures rise over time and increase,
The mean monthly temperature varies between 25.60 C (March) and 20.90 C (January), according to data on temperature for the previous ten years. The difference between the mean monthly minimum and maximum temperatures in March was 160 degrees Celsius, according to the mean monthly temperature range, and this flux is at its lowest in August. The largest diurnal range is found in March, according to the mean diurnal range for each month. This is a result of the long, hot days and clear, starless nights.
The climate of the Tiger Reserve is humid tropical. The hottest month is March, and the coldest is January. Rainfall totals range from 1400 mm to 2300 mm annually. The wettest month is July, and the driest is January. The south-west and north-east monsoons both provide rain to the Tiger Reserve. The greatest months to travel are from September through March. The sanctuary is situated between the Nelliyampathy and Anamalai hills. With peaks as high as 1,438 meters (Karimala Gopuram) in the southern frontier of the sanctuary and 1.120 meters (Vengoli Malai) in the eastern boundary, the Anamalai hills make up a large portion of the sanctuary. The Thoothampara location, right next to the sanctuary's room boundaries, is where the Nelliyampathy hills, which are located in the core and are on average 600 meters above mean sea level, scale down and naturally open up to the Anamala hills. The north-eastern section of the sanctuary, specifically the Keerappady valley, where the 300-meter contour criss-crosses, has the lowest elevation recorded for the sanctuary. The sanctuary is home to 15 peaks with odd numbers that rise above 900 meters above mean sea level.
FAUNA AND FLORA
Due to the existence of a mosaic of habitats, the Sanctuary is blessed with a remarkably rich and diversified wildlife. The Sanctuary's diverse wildlife includes the following species:
Mammalian: 36 Species
Amphibia: 16 Species
Birds: 268 Species
Reptiles: 61 Species
Pisces: 47 Species
Insects: 1046 Species
There are 1438 species of flowering plants in the Parambikulam Tiger, which are divided into 704 genera and 136 families. Both terrestrial and epiphytic orchid species total 81 in this region. The Sanctuary's natural woodlands were a veritable gold mine of healing herbs. Just in Karianshola, there are about 50 different medicinal plants that are in danger of extinction. About 17 of them are already included in the IUCN's Red Data Book. The Sanctuary is home to over 285 endangered, uncommon, and unique plant species.
FOREST TYPES
West Coast tropical evergreen forests
West Coast tropical semi-evergreen forests
Southern moist and deciduous forest
Southern dry mixed deciduous forests
Moist bamboo brakes
Reed brakes
Southern montane wet temperate forests (Sholas)
In addition, this sanctuary harbours three minor vegetation types, of which two are man-made. They are low-altitude marshy grasslands known locally as vayals.
Teak plantations
Eucalyptus plantations
BEST TIME TO VISIT
Even though the tiger reserve is open all year long, the monsoon season (June to August) is not the best time to visit the Parambikulam. However, because to the excellent weather, tourists greatly choose the months of September through March.
ACCESSIBILITY
The Sanctuary is accessible only by road.
Distance from the nearest town (Pollachi): 39 km.
Distance from Coimbatore: 100 km
CONTACT DETAILS
1. Wildlife Warden
Parambikulam Tiger Reserve
Anappady, Thunakkadavu Post
Parambikulam
(via) Pollachi
Palakkad District-678661
Phone: 04253 245005
E.mail: ww-parambikulam@forest.kerala.gov.in
2. Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, Anappady , Palakkad
Kerala-India
Email: parambikulamecotourism@gmail.com
3. Office of the Deputy Director (Project Tiger),
Parambikulam Tiger Reserve,
Parambikulam, Palakkad
Kerala-India – 678661
E-mail: ww-pklm.for@kerala.gov.in
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