The ''protected areas of Kerala'' include a wide range of biomes, extending east from the

coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups. C ...

estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environmen ...

salt marsh A salt marsh or saltmarsh, also known as a coastal salt marsh or a tidal marsh, is a coastal ecosystem in the upper coastal intertidal zone between land and open saltwater or brackish water that is regularly flooded by the tides. It is domin ...

es,

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evolution in severa ...

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc sh ...

es of the

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...

through the tropical moist broadleaf forests of the

Malabar Coast moist forests The Malabar Coast moist forests are a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of southwestern India. Geography The ecoregion lies along India's Konkan and Malabar coasts, in a narrow strip between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats range, ...

to the

North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests The North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of southwestern India. Geography The North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests lies in the northern portion of the Western Ghats (Sahyadri) range ...

and

South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests The South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests is an ecoregion in the Western Ghats of southern India with tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests. This biome covers the Nilgiri Hills between elevation of in Kerala, Karnataka and T ...

South Western Ghats montane rain forests The South Western Ghats montane rain forests is an ecoregion in South India, covering the southern portion of the Western Ghats in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu at elevations from . Annual rainfall in this ecoregion exceeds . Setting The e ...

on the western border 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 ...

in the Western Ghats. Most protected areas throughout its 14 districts are under the stewardship of the Kerala Forest Department and like all other

protected areas of India There are four categories of protected areas in India, constituted under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Tiger reserves consist of areas under national parks and wildlife sanctuaries. There are 52 tiger reserves in India. the protected area ...

receive support from the

Ministry of Environment and Forests (India) The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is an Indian government ministry. This ministry is headed by Secretary Rank senior most IAS officer. The ministry portfolio is currently held by Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister o ...

Land coverage

The state of Kerala covers an area of . *The total forest area in the state is (1995), forming 27.83% of the total geographic area. *There are six national parks with a total area of . *There are fourteen wildlife sanctuaries with a total area of . *Together the protected area totals , which cover 23.7% of the total forest area and 6.3% of the geographical area of Kerala State.

History

The first official action towards the conservation of wildlife and biodiversity in Kerala was taken in 1934 by the

Maharaja Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king". A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...

of the Princely state of

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

, Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, by declaring the forests around Periyar lake as a private game reserve to stop the encroachment of tea plantations. It was named Nellikkampatty Game Reserve and was consolidated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1950 after the political integration of India.

Biosphere reserves

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 ...

(5,520 km²) established in 1986, includes parts of Wayanad, Nagarhole, Bandipur and Mudumalai, Nilambur, Silent Valley and Siruvani Hills in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve The Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve is a biosphere reserve in India established in 2001, located in the southernmost end of the Western Ghats and includes of which 1828 km2 is in Kerala and 1672.36 km2 is in Tamil Nadu. It encompasses ...

(3,500 km²) established in 2001, covers parts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam and Pathanamthitta Districts in Kerala and Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari Districts in Tamil Nadu.

National parks

1978

Eravikulam National Park Eravikulam National Park is a 97 km2 national park located along the Western Ghats in the Idukki and Ernakulam districts of Kerala in India. Situated between 10º05'N and 10º20' north, and 77º0' and 77º10' east, (Semap) it is the ...

, Idukki District, 97 km² 1982

Periyar National Park Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (PNP) is a protected area located in the districts of Idukki and Pathanamthitta in Kerala, India. It is notable as an elephant reserve and a tiger reserve. The protected area encompasses , of which ...

, Idukki District, 350 km² 1984

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 ...

, Palakkad District, 89.52 km² 2003 Mathikettan Shola National Park, Idukki District, 12.82 km² 2003 Anamudi Shola National Park in Idukki District is composed of Mannavan shola, Idivara shola and Pullardi shola, covering a total area of 7.5 km². 2003 Pambadum Shola National Park, Idukki District, 1.318 km² Proposed

Karimpuzha National Park Karimpuzha National Park (Malayalam: കരിമ്പുഴ നാഷണൽ പാർക്ക്‌ , Tamil: கரிம்புழா தேசியப் பூங்கா) is a 230 km² proposed National Park located at in the Nil ...

, 230 km²

Wildlife sanctuaries

Wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala include: *

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (PNP) is a protected area located in the districts of Idukki and Pathanamthitta in Kerala, India. It is notable as an elephant reserve and a tiger reserve. The protected area encompasses , of which ...

in Idukki District, , established in 1950 * Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary in

Thiruvananthapuram District Thiruvananthapuram District (), is the southernmost district in the Indian state of Kerala. The district was created in 1949, with its headquarters in the city of Thiruvananthapuram, which is also Kerala's administrative centre. The present d ...

, , elevation 80 m-1866 m, established in 1958: reed brakes,

ibex An ibex (plural ibex, ibexes or ibices) is any of several species of wild goat (genus ''Capra''), distinguished by the male's large recurved horns, which are transversely ridged in front. Ibex are found in Eurasia, North Africa and East Africa ...

lion tailed macaque The lion-tailed macaque (''Macaca silenus''), also known as the wanderoo, is an Old World monkey endemic to the Western Ghats of South India. Characteristics Lion-tailed macaques are covered in black fur, and have a striking gray or silve ...

, Indian elephant,

Nilgiri langur The Nilgiri langur (''Semnopithecus johnii'') is a langur (a type of Old World monkey) . This primate has glossy black fur on its body and golden brown fur on its head. It is similar in size and long-tailed like the gray langurs. Females have ...

, crocodile, shola birds, more than 150 endemics. *

Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary headquartered in Peechi, Thrissur District of Kerala, India. The sanctuary was established in 1958 consisting of Palappilli- Nelliyampathi forests including the area of Chimmony Wildli ...

in Thrissur District, , elevation 40 m-928 m, established in 1958 * Muthangha Wildlife Sanctuary in

Wayanad District Wayanad () is a district in the north-east of Indian state Kerala with administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the only plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of the Mysore Plateau, the southern ...

, , elevation 800 m-1158 m, established in 1973:

Indian elephant The Indian elephant (''Elephas maximus indicus'') is one of four extant recognised subspecies of the Asian elephant and native to mainland Asia. Since 1986, the Asian elephant has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List as the wild pop ...

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 in ...

Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, which also includes the erstwhile Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, is a protected area lying in Palakkad district and Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. The Wildlife Sanctuary, which had an area of wa ...

in Palakkad District, , elevation 459 m-1439 m, established in 1973:

Nilgiri tahr The Nilgiri tahr (''Nilgiritragus hylocrius'') is an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western and Eastern Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India. It is the state animal of Tami ...

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 ...

* Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary in Idukki District, , elevation 600 m-1200 m, established in 1976: Indian elephant, sambar * Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary in

, , elevation 60 m-1717 m, established in 1983: lion tailed macaque, Indian elephant, shola birds *

Thattekad Bird Sanctuary The Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary, covering an area of barely 25 km2, and located about 12 km from Kothamangalam (Kerala state, India), was the first bird sanctuary in Kerala. Salim Ali, one of the best known ornithologists, described t ...

in Idukki District, , elevation 30 m-620 m, established in 1983: Birds *

Chimmony Wildlife sanctuary Chimmini Wildlife sanctuary is a protected area located along the Western Ghats in Chalakudy taluk of Thrissur District of Kerala state in India. Established in 1984, the sanctuary with an area of about 85.067 km2 is on the Western slo ...

in Thrissur District, , elevation 50 m-1116 m, established in 1984: Indian elephant, Bengal tiger *

Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in the Western Ghats, India, located in Kollam district of Kerala and comes under the control of Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve. It was established on 25 August 1984 and comprises . The name is ...

Kollam District Kollam district (), (formerly Quilon district) is one of 14 List of districts in Kerala, districts of the state of Kerala, India. The district has a cross-section of Kerala's natural attributes; it is endowed with a long coastline, a major Lac ...

, , elevation 120 m-1785 m, established in 1984:

Myristica ''Myristica'' is a genus of trees in the family Myristicaceae. There are over 150 species, distributed in Asia and the western Pacific. The type species of the genus, and the most economically important member, is ''Myristica fragrans'' (the nu ...

swamps, Bengal tiger, lion tailed macaque,

shola Sholas are the local name for patches of stunted tropical montane forest found in valleys amid rolling grassland in the higher montane regions of South India, largely in Kerala, Karnataka and Tamilnadu. These patches of shola forest are foun ...

birds, lesser predators, Gluta Travancorica trees *

Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary is located 18 km north of Marayoor on State Highway 17 in the Marayoor and Kanthalloor panchayats of Devikulam taluk in the Idukki district of Kerala state in South India. It is one of 18 wildlife sanctuaries a ...

in Idukki District, , elevation 440 m -2300m, established in 1984: sandal forests, dry habitat species of animals and birds, Nilgiri tahr, Indian elephant *

Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary is the northernmost wildlife sanctuary of Kerala, southwest India. It is in area and located on the western slope of the Western Ghats. It was established in 1984. The headquarters of the sanctuary is near Iritty ...

in Kannur District, , elevation 60m-1598m, established in 1984: gaur, sambar, Nilgiri langur *

Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary Mangalavanam is an ecologically sensitive area situated at the centre of the Indian city of Kochi, covering about 2.74 hectares. It also houses a shallow tidal lake connected with Kochi backwaters by a canal. It is situated behind the Kerala High ...

Ernakulam District Ernakulam, ; ISO: ''Eṟaṇākuḷaṁ'', in Malayalam: എറണാകുളം), is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, that takes its name from the eponymous city division in Kochi. It is situated in the central part ...

, , almost at sea level, established in 2004 *

Kurinjimala Sanctuary Kurinjimala Sanctuary protects the approximately 32 hectare core habitat of the endangered Neelakurinji plant in the Kottakamboor and Vattavada villages in Devikulam Taluk, in the Idukki district of Kerala, a state in southern India. History ...

in Idukki District, , elevation approx. 800 m-2550 m, established in 2006: Neelakurinji *

Ranipuram Ranipuram (also known by its former name Madathumala) is a village and a major tourist attraction in the Kasaragod district of the Indian state of Kerala. It is located near Talakaveri Wildlife Sanctuary in Kerala-Karnataka border. Situated at a ...

Wildlife Sanctuary proposed 2007 in

Kasaragod district Kasaragod ( and Malayalam: , English: ''Kassergode'', Tulu: ''Kasrod'', Arabic: ''Harkwillia'') is one of the 14 districts in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Its northern border Thalappady is located just 10 km south to Ullal, whi ...

, approx. is an integral part of Brahmagiri biosphere: shola forests, Indian elephants,

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 ...

wild dogs Wild Dogs is an American heavy metal band from Portland, Oregon, formed loosely in 1981 by original members Jeff Mark, Danny Kurth, Matt McCourt, and Pete Holmes. The band has since released six albums, three live albums and one DVD. Wild Dogs ...

, various species of birds,

Malabar large-spotted civet The Malabar large-spotted civet (''Viverra civettina''), also known as the Malabar civet, is a viverrid endemic to the Western Ghats of India. It is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List as the population is estimated to number ...

slender loris The slender lorises (''Loris'') are a genus of loris native to India and Sri Lanka. The genus comprises two species, the red slender loris found in Sri Lanka and the gray slender loris from Sri Lanka and India. Slender lorises spend most of their ...

, macaque; no protection for this

biodiversity Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...

area; illegal night hunting and poaching are main threats; attention of the concerned authorities is required to declare it a wildlife sanctuary. *

Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary is a Wildlife sanctuary near Nilambur, Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is declared as a wildlife sanctuary on 3 July 2020. It covers an area of 227.97 sq km and comprises the New Amarambalam ...

Malappuram Malappuram (also Malapuram) () is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of including the surrounding suburban areas. The first municipality in the district formed in 1970, Malappuram serves as the administrative headquarter ...

district. It was formed on July 3, 2020. It covers an area of 227.97 sq km.

Tiger reserves

1978

Periyar Tiger Reserve Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (PNP) is a protected area located in the districts of Idukki and Pathanamthitta in Kerala, India. It is notable as an elephant reserve and a tiger reserve. The protected area encompasses , of whi ...

777.54 km² Idukki District 1950. PTR notified in 1982 TE, MF, MD, P. West Coast TE 900 m-2019 m tiger, lion tailed macaque, black panther, elephant, smaller mammals.

Parambikulam Tiger Reserve Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, which also includes the erstwhile Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, is a protected area lying in Palakkad district and Thrissur district of Kerala state, South India. The Wildlife Sanctuary, which had an area of ...

is the second tiger reserve in Kerala. This is located in the district of Palakkad, Kerala, while the closest town for visitor access to this tiger reserve is Pollachi, in Tamil Nadu. Mankulam forest division, between

Aanakkulam Aanakkulam is a tourist place in Idukki district of Kerala state, India. Aanakkulam is in Mankulam Village, about 40 km away from Adimali. ''Aanakkulam'' means ''Pond of Elephants'' in local malayalam language. Elephants comes to this par ...

, Mankulam and

Edamalakkudy Edamalakkudy or Idamalakkudy is a remote tribal village and gram panchayat between the Idamalayar Reserve Forest and Mankulam Forest Division of the Anamalai hills in the Idukki district of the Kerala state of India. Location Edamalakudy is lo ...

Zoos

*The Thiruvananthapuram Zoo is one among the best designed in Asia and is set amidst a woodland, lakes and lawns. It is one of the oldest in the country, established as an annexe to the museum in 1857. *The

Thrissur Zoo Thrissur Zoo or State Museum & Zoo, Thrissur (formerly the Trichur Zoo) is a zoo that opened in 1885 in a small area called Chembukkavu, in the heart of Thrissur City, Kerala, India. It is one of the oldest zoos in the country, and is home to ...

is home to the wide variety of animals, reptiles and birds. Spread over an area of 13.5 acres of land, a natural history museum and an art museum are also enclosed within the same premises showcasing the socio-cultural heritage of the region. There is a special building which houses snakes also.

Reserve forests

Attappadi Attappady (HQ:Agali) is a tribal taluk in Kerala state covering an area of . It is carved out from Mannarkkad taluk in Palakkad district on February 2021. Attappady Reserve Forest is a protected area comprising 249 km2 of land area in ...

- The 249 km² Attappadi Reserve Forest is an informal buffer zone conjoining

to the West. 81 km² of this forest was separated to become most of the new 94 km² Bhavani Forest Range which is part of the 147.22 km² Silent Valley Buffer Zone. *Idamalayar Reserve Forest- surrounding the

Edamalayar Dam Idamalayar Dam is a multipurpose concrete gravity dam located at Ennakkal between Ayyampuzha and Bhoothathankettu in Ernakulam district of Kerala on the Idamalayar, a tributary of the Periyar River in Kerala, South India. The dam however exten ...

to the north, east and a south-east, covering Thrissur and Ernakulam districts.

is to the south-east, and Mankulam Forest Division to the east. *A useful source is detailed Topographic Maps of India.University of Texas Libraries, India and Pakistan 1:250,000, Series U502, U.S. Army Map Service, 195
Topographic Maps of India
/ref>

Notes

{{Protected areas of Kerala

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 ...

Lists of tourist attractions in Kerala