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Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve

June 3, 2026

Recently, the Supreme Court has ordered the immediate removal of encroachers and demolition of illegal structures across the ecologically sensitive Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve landscape in South India.

About Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve:

  • Location: It is located in the southern part of the Western Ghats spanning the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
  • It was established as Biosphere Reserve in 2001 and added into the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves list in 2016.
  • It includes protected areas namely
    • Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary
    • Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary
    • Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary
    • Kalakkad MundanthuraiT iger Reserve
  • Vegetation: It comprises of tropical wet evergreen forests, moist deciduous forests, montane rain forests and Shola.
  • Fauna: It is home to many species of higher plants including about many that are endemic.
  • Fauna: It includes the Asian elephant, tiger and Nilgiri Tahr and birds like Great Indian hornbill.
  • Tribal People: It is home to the Kanikaran—one of the oldest surviving tribes in the world.

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