Protected areas of Tamil Nadu cover an area of 3,305 km2 (1,276 sq mi), constituting 2.54% of the geographic area and 15% of the 22,643 km2 (8,743 sq mi) recorded forest area of the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. It ranks 14th among all the states and union territories of India in terms of total protected area.[1]
Protected areas in South India were created from private hunting grounds of the erstwhile Maharajas of the princely states. Mudumalai National Park was established in 1940 and was the first modern wildlife sanctuary in South India. The protected areas are administered by the Ministry of Environment and Forests of Government of India and the Tamil Nadu Forest Department.
There are three Biosphere Reserves in Tamil Nadu.[2]
| Name | District | Area | Established |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gulf of Mannar | Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi | 10,500 km2 (4,100 sq mi) | 1989 |
| Nilgiris | Nilgiris | 5,520 km2 (2,130 sq mi) | 1986 |
| Agasthyamalai | Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli | 3,500.36 km2 (1,351.50 sq mi) | 2001 |
Tamil Nadu has five National Parks covering 307.84 km2 (118.86 sq mi).[2]
| Name | District | Area | Established |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anamalai | Coimbatore, Tiruppur | 117.1 km2 (45.2 sq mi) | 1989 |
| Mudumalai | Nilgiris | 103.24 km2 (39.86 sq mi) | 1990 |
| Mukurthi | Nilgiris | 78.46 km2 (30.29 sq mi) | 1982 |
| Gulf of Mannar | Ramanathapuram | 6.23 km2 (2.41 sq mi) | 1980 |
| Guindy | Chennai | 2.82 km2 (1.09 sq mi) | 1976 |
Tamil Nadu has 18 wildlife sanctuaries.[2][3][4][5][6]
| Name | District | Area | Established |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anamalai | Coimbatore, Tiruppur | 841.49 km2 (324.90 sq mi) | 1976 |
| Cauvery North | Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri | 504.34 km2 (194.73 sq mi) | 2015 |
| Cauvery South | Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri | 686.4 km2 (265.0 sq mi) | 2022 |
| Gangaikondan | Tirunelveli | 288.4 km2 (111.4 sq mi) | 2013 |
| Grizzled Squirrel | Virudhunagar | 485 km2 (187 sq mi) | 1988 |
| Kadavur | Dindigul, Karur | 118.06 km2 (45.58 sq mi) | 2022 |
| Kalakkad | Tirunelveli | 223.58 km2 (86.32 sq mi) | 1962 |
| Kanyakumari | Kanyakumari | 457.78 km2 (176.75 sq mi) | 2008 |
| Megamalai | Madurai, Theni | 269.1 km2 (103.9 sq mi) | 2009 |
| Mudumalai | Nilgiris | 217.76 km2 (84.08 sq mi) | 1940 |
| Kodaikanal | Dindigul, Theni | 608.95 km2 (235.12 sq mi) | 2008 |
| Mundanthurai | Tirunelveli | 282.08 km2 (108.91 sq mi) | 1962 |
| Point Calimere | Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur | 124.07 km2 (47.90 sq mi) | 1967 |
| Sathyamangalam | Erode | 1,411.6 km2 (545.0 sq mi) | 2008 |
| Periyar | Erode | 805.67 km2 (311.07 sq mi) | 2023 |
| Tirunelveli | Tirunelveli | 356.73 km2 (137.73 sq mi) | 2015 |
| Vallanadu | Thoothukudi | 16.41 km2 (6.34 sq mi) | 1987 |
There are five declared elephant sanctuaries in Tamil Nadu as per Project Elephant.[2]
| Name | District | Area | Established |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agasthyamalai | Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli | 1,197.48 km2 (462.35 sq mi) | 2022 |
| Anamalai | Coimbatore, Tiruppur | 1,457 km2 (563 sq mi) | 2003 |
| Coimbatore | Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode | 566 km2 (219 sq mi) | 2003 |
| Nilgiris | Nilgiris | 4,663 km2 (1,800 sq mi) | 2003 |
| Srivilliputtur | Madurai, Theni | 1,249 km2 (482 sq mi) | 2003 |
Tamil Nadu participates in Project Tiger and has five declared tiger reserves.[2][7][8][9]
| Name | District | Area | Established |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anamalai Tiger Reserve | Coimbatore, Tiruppur | 958.59 km2 (370.11 sq mi) | 2008 |
| Kalakkad-Mundanthurai | Tirunelveli | 895 km2 (346 sq mi) | 1988 |
| Mudumalai | Nilgiris | 367.59 km2 (141.93 sq mi) | 2007 |
| Sathyamangalam | Erode | 1,408.6 km2 (543.9 sq mi) | 2011 |
| Megamalai | Madurai, Theni | 1,016.57 km2 (392.50 sq mi) | 2021 |
There are seventeen declared bird sanctuaries in Tamil Nadu.[2][10][11][12][13]
| Name | District | Area | Established |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chitrangudi | Ramanathapuram | .48 km2 (0.19 sq mi) | 1989 |
| Kallaperambur | Thanjavur | .64 km2 (0.25 sq mi) | 2015 |
| Kanjirankulam | Ramanathapuram | 1.04 km2 (0.40 sq mi) | 1989 |
| Karaivetti | Ariyalur | 4.54 km2 (1.75 sq mi) | 1989 |
| Karikili | Chengalpattu | 0.612 km2 (0.236 sq mi) | 1988 |
| Kazhuveli | Villupuram | 51.56 km2 (19.91 sq mi) | 2021 |
| Koothankulam | Tirunelveli | 1.2933 km2 (0.4993 sq mi) | 1994 |
| Melaselvanur–Kilaselvanur | Ramanathapuram | 5.93 km2 (2.29 sq mi) | 1998 |
| Nanjarayan Tank | Tiruppur | 1.26 km2 (0.49 sq mi) | 2022 |
| Point Calimere | Nagapattinam | 17.26 km2 (6.66 sq mi) | 1987 |
| Pulicat | Thiruvallur | 461.02 km2 (178.00 sq mi) | 1976 |
| Suchindram Theroor | Kanyakumari | 0.94 km2 (0.36 sq mi) | 2002 |
| Udayamarthandapuram | Thiruvarur | 0.45 km2 (0.17 sq mi) | 1999 |
| Vaduvoor | Thiruvarur | 1.28 km2 (0.49 sq mi) | 1999 |
| Vedanthangal | Kanchipuram | 0.3 km2 (0.12 sq mi) | 1936 |
| Vellode | Erode | 0.772 km2 (0.298 sq mi) | 1996 |
| Vettangudi | Sivagangai | 0.344 km2 (0.133 sq mi) | 1977 |
| Viralimalai | Tiruchirappalli |
There is one conservation reserve at Tiruvidaimarudur in Thanjavur district. There are two zoos recognised by the Central Zoo Authority of India namely Arignar Anna Zoological Park and Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, both located in Chennai.[14] The state has other smaller zoos run by local administrative bodies such as Coimbatore Zoo in Coimbatore, Amirthi Zoological Park in Vellore, Kurumpampatti Wildlife Park in Salem, Yercaud Deer Park in Yercaud, Mukkombu Deer Park in Tiruchirapalli and Ooty Deer Park in Nilgiris.[2]
There are five crocodile farms located at Amaravati in Coimbatore district, Hogenakkal in Dharmapuri district, Kurumbapatti in Salem district, Madras Crocodile Bank Trust in Chennai and Sathanur in Tiruvannamalai district.[2]
