New Amarambalam reserved forest is a

forest reserve Forest reserve(s) may refer to: * Nature reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importan ...

in the Western Ghats, situated in the

Malappuram District Malappuram (), is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala, with a coastline of . The most populous district of Kerala, Malappuram is home to around 13% of the tot ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...

state of

India India, officially the Republic of India, 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 by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

. The reserve's boundaries extend from

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

in the Palakkad District to the south to Nadugani in the Nilgiri District of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

to the north. It is part of the Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary.

Geography

Comprising an area of , Nedumkayam reserve forest is administered as part of Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary of

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

. Since the protected area shows very high altitudinal gradation from to , most of the reserve is characterized by high rainfall and thick forest cover. Nedumkayam is continuous with

, 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 ...

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 Nilgiri Mountains, Nilgiris range of the Western Ghats on the banks of the Chaliyar River. This place is ...

and Karimpuzha forests. Nedumkayam 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 Int ...

(IBS) of the Western Ghats Endemic Bird Area, where 16 restricted range species (RRS) have been identified; of these 16 species, eight have been sighted in Nedumkayam. There are also one critically endangered and two vulnerable bird species known to inhabit the area. 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 i ...

identified 52 near‐threatened species (NTS) in 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, Nedumkayam Reserve Forest lies in the Indian Peninsula Tropical Moist Forest (Biome-10): 15 bird species have been identified as typical biome assemblage, and 12 species are found in this IBA. In 2003, Professor PO Nameer of

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

reported having seen 11 species of

woodpecker Woodpeckers are part of the bird family (biology), family Picidae, which also includes the piculets, wrynecks and sapsuckers. Members of this family are found worldwide, except for Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, Madagascar and the extreme ...

s, 11 species of flycatchers, nine species of babblers, seven species of

bulbul The bulbuls are members of a family, Pycnonotidae, of medium-sized passerine songbirds, which also includes greenbuls, brownbuls, leafloves, and bristlebills. The family is distributed across most of Africa and into the Middle East, tropic ...

s, and three species of barbets in the area. 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) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

categorisation and from ''A1'' to ''A3'' according to IBA categorization, namely: the lesser adjutant (''

Leptoptilos javanicus The lesser adjutant (''Leptoptilos javanicus'') is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae. Like other members of its genus, it has a bare neck and head. It is however more closely associated with wetland habitats where it is solitary ...

''), white-rumped vulture (''

Gyps bengalensis The white-rumped vulture (''Gyps bengalensis'') is an Old World vulture native to South and Southeast Asia. It has been listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List since 2000, as the population severely declined. White-rumped vultures di ...

''), Nilgiri wood-pigeon ('' Columba elphinstonii''), Malabar parakeet (''

Psittacula columboides The blue-winged parakeet (''Psittacula columboides''), also known as the Malabar parakeet, is a species of parakeet endemic to the Western Ghats of southern India. Found in small flocks, they fly rapidly in forest clearings while making screec ...

''), Malabar grey-hornbill ('' Ocyceros griseus''), white-bellied treepie ('' Dendrocitta leucogastra''), grey-headed bulbul ('' Pycnonotus priocephalus''), rufous babbler (''

Turdoides subrufus The rufous babbler (''Argya subrufa'') is an endemic species of bird found in the Western Ghats of southern India of the family Leiothrichidae It is dark brown and long tailed, and is usually seen foraging in noisy groups along open hillsides ...

''), white-bellied blue-flycatcher ('' Cyornis pallipes''), and crimson-backed sunbird ('' Nectarinia minima''). The bird community showed high evenness. Maximum species richness was obtained during November and the highest diversity index was recorded during April.

Endemic fauna of the Western Ghats

As of 2000, Nedumkayam is home to almost all mammal species found in the broader region of the Western Ghats: a total of 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 Forests & Wildlife Department is a department of the Government of Kerala responsible for forestry and wildlife management in the state of Kerala, India. The department is involved with the protection and conservation of flora and fauna i ...

, 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