Chennai, August 29: The Tamil Nadu government has officially notified three elephant corridors in the Hosur Forest Division, located within the Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary. This initiative aims to enhance connectivity between elephant habitats and facilitate safe seasonal movement of elephants between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
The identified corridors include Jawalagiri-Ulibanda-Thaggatti, Jawalagiri-Panai-Anchetti, and Billikal-Jawalagiri. The order was issued by Kakarla Usha, Additional Chief Secretary of the Environment, Climate Change, and Forest Department. Together, these corridors cover over 10,300 hectares of reserved forest and wildlife sanctuary land. The largest corridor, Jawalagiri-Panai-Anchetti, stretches 20.90 kilometers and encompasses 6,881.47 hectares.
The Jawalagiri-Ulibanda-Thaggatti corridor covers 3,241.53 hectares within an 18.50-kilometer radius. The smallest corridor, Billikal-Jawalagiri, is 2.20 kilometers long and covers approximately 196 hectares. This government notification is based on interim directives from the Madras High Court and recommendations from committees tasked with identifying elephant corridors and addressing conservation challenges.
A report submitted to the state government by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and the Chief Wildlife Warden emphasizes the importance of these corridors for seasonal elephant movement. They create crucial ecological links along the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border. Elephant herds regularly traverse between the two states, influenced by monsoon patterns, water and forage availability, reproductive needs, and other habitat conditions.
Therefore, preserving these traditional routes is deemed essential for maintaining the elephant population and alleviating pressure on fragmented habitats. Since all three corridors fall within reserved forest or protected sanctuary areas, this notification will not alter the legal classification of the land. Local communities will not face additional restrictions, as these areas are already governed by reserve forest or wildlife conservation regulations.
However, formal recognition is expected to enhance conservation prioritization for these corridors, improve coordination among forest officials, and prevent disruptions to elephant movement due to future development or habitat encroachment.
This initiative may also aid in long-term landscape planning, wildlife monitoring, and reducing human-elephant conflicts in settlements near migration routes, while directing efforts to restore degraded sections of these pathways. The notification will be published in the Tamil Nadu government gazette and the Krishnagiri district gazette, completing the formal recognition process.
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