The state of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

is considered one of the rich 123 bio-diversified states in

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

. Natural vegetation (flora) and animal life (fauna) depend mainly on climate, relief, and soil. Krishna and Godavari are the two largest rivers flowing through the state. The

Andhra Pradesh Forest Department Andhra Pradesh Forest Department is one of the administrative divisions of Government of Andhra Pradesh. It is headed by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Head of Forest Force. The primary function of this department is protection, con ...

deals with protection, conservation and management of

forests A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

Sri Venkateswara National Park Tirumala Hills 01

Natural vegetation

The total forest cover of Andhra Pradesh is 22,862 km². The

Eastern Ghats The Eastern Ghats are a discontinuous range of mountains along India's eastern coast. The Eastern Ghats pass through Odisha, Andhra Pradesh to Tamil Nadu in the south passing some parts of Karnataka as well as Telangana. They are eroded and ...

region is home to dense tropical forests, while the vegetation becomes sparse as the Ghats give way to the

Deccan Plateau The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by th ...

, where shrub vegetation is more common.

''Fauna''

The varied diversity of fauna includes

Bengal tiger The Bengal tiger is a population of the '' Panthera tigris tigris'' subspecies. It ranks among the biggest wild cats alive today. It is considered to belong to the world's charismatic megafauna. The tiger is estimated to have been present i ...

Indian leopard The Indian leopard (''Panthera pardus fusca'') is a leopard subspecies widely distributed on the Indian subcontinent. The species ''Panthera pardus'' is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because populations have declined following habita ...

, hyenas, blackbucks, sambars, and sea turtles. The dense forests in mountains offer habitat to the wildlife. The state government declared certain areas as wildlife sanctuaries and national parks.

National parks and zoo parks

Indira Gandhi Zoological Park Indira Gandhi Zoological Park is located amidst Kambalakonda Reserve Forest in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. It is the third largest zoo in the country. The zoological park is named after the former Prime Minister of India, Indir ...

is located in

Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura submarine museu ...

. It is one of the largest zoos of India, spread over an area of . It was named after

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (; ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and a central figure of the Indian National Congress. She was elected as third prime minister of India in 1966 and was al ...

, the former

Prime Minister of India The prime minister of India (IAST: ) is the head of government of the Republic of India. Executive authority is vested in the prime minister and their chosen Council of Ministers, despite the president of India being the nominal head of the ...

and was opened in 1977. There are eighty species with 800 animals. Hippopotamus and crocodiles are the special animals conserved.

Wildlife sanctuaries

Coringa Reserve Forest Park Mangrove Forest 90

Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary The Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary is a forest located near Visakhapatnam. It has been under the control of Andhra Pradesh Forest Department since 10 March 1970. Earlier the land was under the control of Maharajah of Vizianagaram. ...

is situated on NH 5, surrounded by the Eastern Ghats on three sides and the Bay of Bengal on the fourth. It houses

. The park has almost eighty species with

primates Primates are a diverse order of mammals. They are divided into the strepsirrhines, which include the lemurs, galagos, and lorisids, and the haplorhines, which include the tarsiers and the simians ( monkeys and apes, the latter including ...

carnivores A carnivore , or meat-eater (Latin, ''caro'', genitive ''carnis'', meaning meat or "flesh" and ''vorare'' meaning "to devour"), is an animal or plant whose food and energy requirements derive from animal tissues (mainly muscle, fat and other so ...

mammals Mammals () are a group of vertebrate animals constituting the class Mammalia (), characterized by the presence of mammary glands which in females produce milk for feeding (nursing) their young, a neocortex (a region of the brain), fur o ...

ungulates Ungulates ( ) are members of the diverse clade Ungulata which primarily consists of large mammals with hooves. These include odd-toed ungulates such as horses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs; and even-toed ungulates such as cattle, pigs, giraffes, ca ...

reptiles Reptiles, as most commonly defined are the animals in the class Reptilia ( ), a paraphyletic grouping comprising all sauropsids except birds. Living reptiles comprise turtles, crocodilians, squamates ( lizards and snakes) and rhynchoceph ...

and

birds Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweigh ...

. These include

rhesus monkey The rhesus macaque (''Macaca mulatta''), colloquially rhesus monkey, is a species of Old World monkey. There are between six and nine recognised subspecies that are split between two groups, the Chinese-derived and the Indian-derived. Generally ...

s, baboons, panthers, tigers,

wolves The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly un ...

, hyenas, pythons, tortoises, monitor lizards, elephant, bison, sambar deer,

peacocks Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are ref ...

ducks Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form ...

and

macaws Macaws are a group of New World parrots that are long-tailed and often colorful. They are popular in aviculture or as companion parrots, although there are conservation concerns about several species in the wild. Biology Of the many differe ...

Papikonda Wildlife Sanctuary Papikonda National Park is a national park in India, located near Rajamahendravaram in the Papi Hills of the Alluri Sitharama Raju and Eluru districts of Andhra Pradesh, and covering an area of . It is an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area a ...

is located in

East Godavari East Godavari is a district in the Coastal Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Its district headquarters is at Rajahmundry. As of census 2011, it became the most populous district of the state with a population of 5,151,549. In the Madras Pre ...

, West Godavari in an area of . Fauna found in this sanctuary are tigers, panthers,

gaur The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ), also known as the Indian bison, is a bovine native to South Asia and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 m ...

cheetal The chital or cheetal (''Axis axis''; ), also known as the spotted deer, chital deer, and axis deer, is a deer species native to the Indian subcontinent. It was first described and given a binomial name by German naturalist Johann Christian ...

, chowsingha, sambar,

blackbuck The blackbuck (''Antilope cervicapra''), also known as the Indian antelope, is an antelope native to India and Nepal. It inhabits grassy plains and lightly forested areas with perennial water sources. It stands up to high at the shoulder. Ma ...

, mouse deer, barking deer, sloth bears, wild ogs, hyenas, jackals, wild boar, marsh crocodiles and a variety of birds. Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary is located in

East Godavari district East Godavari is a district in the Coastal Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Its district headquarters is at Rajahmundry. As of census 2011, it became the most populous district of the state with a population of 5,151,549. In the Madras Pre ...

in an area of . It has the rare, endangered smooth Indian otter,

fishing cat The fishing cat (''Prionailurus viverrinus'') is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. Since 2016, it is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. Fishing cat populations are threatened by destruction of wetlands and have declin ...

and

estuarine crocodile The saltwater crocodile (''Crocodylus porosus'') is a crocodilian native to saltwater habitats and brackish wetlands from India's east coast across Southeast Asia and the Sundaic region to northern Australia and Micronesia. It has been liste ...

. Other fauna are jackals, marine turtles, seagulls, storks, ducks and flamingos. Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary and estuary located in

Krishna district Krishna district is district in the coastal Andhra Region in Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, with Machilipatnam as its administrative headquarters. It is the coastal district of Andhra Pradesh. Machilipatnam is the most populated city in the ...

of Andhra Pradesh. The sanctuary is home for reptiles like the garden lizard, the wall lizard, tortoises and snakes.

Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Known primarily as a habitat of the great Indian bustard, the species has suffered a drastic fall in its numbers in the sanctuary in recent ye ...

is a wildlife sanctuary located in

Kurnool district Kurnool district is one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in the North western part of the state and is bounded by Jogulamba Gadwal district of Telangana in the north, Rai ...

of Andhra Pradesh in an area . It is the only habitat in the state for the rare and highly endangered

great Indian bustard The great Indian bustard (''Ardeotis nigriceps'') or Indian bustard, is a bustard found on the Indian subcontinent. A large bird with a horizontal body and long bare legs, giving it an ostrich like appearance, this bird is among the heaviest of t ...

. The

, wolf, jackal,

bonnet macaque The bonnet macaque (''Macaca radiata''), also known as zati,Chambers English Dictionary is a species of macaque endemic to southern India. Its distribution is limited by the Indian Ocean on three sides and the Godavari and Tapti Rivers, along wit ...

Russell's viper Russell's viper (''Daboia russelii''), is a venomous snake in the family Viperidae native to the Indian subcontinent and one of the big four snakes in India. It was described in 1797 by George Shaw and Frederick Polydore Nodder, and named af ...

and cobra are also found. Sri Penusila Narasimha Wildlife Sanctuary is located in the Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh. It covers an area of 1030.85 km² is managed by the

Gundla Brahmeswara Wildlife Sanctuary Gundla Brahmeshwaram Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary located in the Nallamala Forest in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The northern part of the sanctuary is an important part of the Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve. H ...

is located in

Kurnool Kurnool is a city in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It formerly served as the capital of Andhra State (1953–1956). The city is often referred to as "The Gateway of Rayalaseema".Kurnool is also known as The City of Gem Stones. It also s ...

and Prakasam Districts of Andhra Pradesh. It covers an area of 1194 km² is managed by the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department. The last surviving pristine forests of Nallamalai tract, it is rich in plants of ethnobotanical value. Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary is located in

Kadapa District Kadapa district (officially: YSR district; formerly: Cuddapah district) is one of the twenty six districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. On 19 August 2005 nomenclature of “Cuddapah” has been changed as “Kadapa” by the Govern ...

. It covers an area of 464.42 km² is managed by the

Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary is located in

Chittoor district Chittoor district () is one of the eight districts in the Rayalaseema region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The district headquarters is located at Chittoor. It has a population of 4,170,468 according to 2011 census of India. It lies in ...

. It is only one Asian elephant reserve in

. The sanctuary is bordered by the state of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...

Bird sanctuaries

Atapaka Bird Sanctuary, also known as Kolleru Wildlife Sanctuary (see also

Kolleru Bird Sanctuary Kolleru Bird Sanctuary is a sanctuary in Andhra Pradesh, India. It covers 673 square kilometers. It was established in November 1999, under the ''Wildlife Protection Act of 1972''. The sanctuary protects part of the Kolleru Lake wetland, which ga ...

), is a largest freshwater lake located in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. The sanctuary falls under Kaikalur Forest Range. It is one of the Ramsar convention wetland sites, spread over an area of .

Telineelapuram and Telukunchi Bird Sanctuaries Telineelapuram and Telukunchi Bird Sanctuaries are located in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, India. Telineelapuram is a village located 65 kilometers from Srikakulam in Tekkali mandal, while Telukunchi is at a distance of 115 kilometers ...

are located in

Srikakulam district Srikakulam district is one of the twenty-six districts of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, located in the Uttarandhra region of the state, with its headquarters located at Srikakulam. It is one of the six districts, located in the extreme ...

of Andhra Pradesh. Every year, over 3,000 pelicans and painted storks visit from

Siberia Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part ...

to these villages during September and stay until March.

Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary is a sanctuary for birds, 759 km2 in area, located in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh and a protected area of the Thiruvallur District of Tamil Nadu, India. Pulicat Lake is the second largest brackish ...

is a famous 481 km² Protected area in Nellore District of Andhra Pradesh state. Pulicat Lake is the second largest brackish-water ecosystem in India. Central location is: 13°34′N 80°12′E. 327.33 km² is managed by the Andhra Pradesh Forest DepartmentAndhra Pradesh Forest Department
PULICAT Wildlife Sanctuary
and 153.67 km² is managed by the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. 108 km² is national park area. Rainfall ranges from 800 to 2000 mm. Temperature varies from 14 °C to 33 °C. Altitude ranges from 100’ MSL to 1200’ MSL.

References

{{Reflist Environment of Andhra Pradesh

Natural vegetation

''Fauna''

National parks and zoo parks

Wildlife sanctuaries

Bird sanctuaries

See also

References