New Amarambalam reserved forest is a reserved forest in the Western Ghats, situated in the

Malappuram District Malappuram (), is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, with a coastline of . It is the most populous district of Kerala, which is home to around 13% of the total population of the state. The district was formed on 16 June 196 ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Ca ...

state of

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 ...

. It extends till

Silent Valley National Park Silent Valley National Park is a national park in Kerala, India. It is located in the Nilgiri hills, has a core area of , which is surrounded by a buffer zone of . This national park has some rare species of flora and fauna. This area was explo ...

of the

Palakkad District Palakkad District () is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. It was carved out from the southeastern region of the former Malabar District on 1 January 1957. It is located at the centre of Kerala. It is the largest district i ...

to the south and to Nadugani in the

Nilgiri District The Nilgiris district () is one of the 38 districts in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Nilgiri ( en, Blue Mountains) is the name given to a range of mountains spread across the borders among the states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Ker ...

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 ...

to the North. It is under the Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary . Munnar - views from Munnar (7)

Geography

Comprising an area of , The New Amarambalam is comes under Karimpuzha WLS of

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union terr ...

. Since it shows very high altitudinal gradation from to , the protected area is coupled with high rainfall and thick forest cover. Amarambalam continues with the

, and also forms a part of the

Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve is a biosphere reserve in the Nilgiri mountains of the Western Ghats in South India. It is the largest protected forest area in India, spreading across Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. It includes the protected ar ...

Bird sanctuary

The Indian Bird Conservation Network (IBCN) has identified 212 species of birds from the

Nilambur Nilambur is a major town, a municipality and a Taluk in the Malappuram district of the Indian state of Kerala. It is located close to the Nilgiris range of the Western Ghats on the banks of the Chaliyar River. This place is also known as 'Teak ...

and Amarambalam forests. Amarambalam is classified as an

Important Bird Area An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations. IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Inte ...

(IBS) of the Western Ghats Endemic Bird Area where 16 restricted range species (RRS) have been identified; eight species have been sighted in Amarambalam. Beside the RRS's, there are one critically endangered and two vulnerable species. In 2001

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

has also identified 52 near threatened species (NTS) of India. Three of the NTS bird species are found in the IBA, but more are likely to be found once detailed studies are conducted. Classified by BirdLife International, Amarambalam Reserve Forest lies in the Indian Peninsula Tropical Moist Forest (Biome-10): 15 bird species have been identified as typical biome assemblage, 12 species are found in this IBA. In 2003, Professor PO Nameer,

Kerala Agricultural University Kerala Agricultural University (KAU) is a state university for agricultural education, recognised as a State Agricultural University (SAU) by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). It is situated in Vellanikkara, Kerala, India. ...

, reported to have seen 11 species of woodpeckers, 11 species of flycatchers, nine species of babblers, seven species of bulbuls, and three species of barbets. As of 2004, there were populations of 10 IBA trigger species ranging from ''critically endangered''/''vulnerable'' to ''least concern'' according to

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

categorisation and ''A1'' to ''A3'' according to IBA, namely Lesser adjutant ('' Leptoptilos javanicus''), White-rumped vulture ('' Gyps bengalensis''), Nilgiri wood-pigeon ('' Columba elphinstonii''), Malabar parakeet ('' Psittacula columboides''), Malabar grey-hornbill ('' Ocyceros griseus''), White-bellied treepie ('' Dendrocitta leucogastra''), Grey-headed bulbul ('' Pycnonotus priocephalus''), Rufous babbler ('' Turdoides subrufus''), White-bellied blue-flycatcher (''

Cyornis pallipes The white-bellied blue flycatcher (''Cyornis pallidipes'') is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family Muscicapidae. It is endemic to the Western Ghats (including the Nilgiris) of southwest India. Males are dark blue with a lighter ...

'') and Crimson-backed sunbird ('' Nectarinia minima''). The bird community showed high evenness. Maximum species richness was obtained during November and highest diversity index was recorded during April.

Endemic fauna of the Western Ghats

As of 2000, Amarambalam comprises almost all mammals found in the Western Ghats: 25 mammals, including the endemic and threatened Lion-tailed macaque ('' Macaca silenus'') and Nilgiri tahr ('' Hemitragus hylocrius'').

Publications

: ''Threatened Birds of Asia. The BirdLife International Red Data Book''. BirdLife International, Cambridge, U.K., 2001. * Sharma, J. K., Ramachandran, K. K., Nair. K. K. N., Mathew, G., Mohandas, K., Jayson, E.A. and Nair, P. V.: ''Studies on the Biodiversity of New Amarambalam Reserved Forest of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve''. In: ''Biosphere Reserves in India and their Management''. Proceedings of the Review Meeting: Biosphere and their Management, 8–11 September 2000, Peechi, Kerala. * Nameer, P.O.: ''Birds of Nilambur Forest Division - a survey report''. NEST &

Kerala Forest Department Kerala Forest Department is a law enforcement agency for the state of Kerala, India. Over 75% of the land area of Kerala was covered by forests until the 18th century. The department is involved with the protection and conservation of flora and ...

, 1993. * Saneesh, C.S.:
New Amarambalam Valley: an IBA of Kerala
''. MISTNET, 2009.

References

External links

{{Protected Areas of India IUCN Category II Reserved forests of India Protected areas of Kerala Protected areas established in 2003 2003 establishments in Kerala South Western Ghats montane rain forests Wildlife sanctuaries of the Western Ghats Geography of Malappuram district Important Bird Areas of India Tourist attractions in Malappuram district