Ranni Forest Division
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The Ranni Forest Division in
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 ...
, India, was constituted on 7 July 1958, comprising the Ranni,
Vadasserikkara Vadaserikara is a village in Pathanamthitta district, in the state of Kerala, India. It is one of the 11 villages in Ranni taluk with an area of 6007 hectares. The nearest railway station is Chengannur located at a distance of and sits at th ...
and Goodrical ranges, with its headquarters at Ranni. It covers the parts of
Konni Konni may refer to: *Konni (dog), Russian President Vladimir Putin's dog (1999-2014) *Konni, Kerala, a town in Kerala state in India *Konni (Hausa state), a traditional Hausa state in south central Niger *Birni-N'Konni (shortened to Konni), a town ...
reserve forest and the reserves of Ranni, Goodrical, Rajampara, Karimkulam, Kumaramperoor, Valiyakavu, and Schettakkal. It covers an area of .


Types of forests and composition

Reserve forests covering and vested forests covering are the major types of forests in this division. The Ranni Forest Division, with its natural beauty and richness in flora and fauna, is a storehouse of many varieties of plants and animals. The forests in the Ranni range can be classified into the following categories. *West coast tropical evergreen forests *West coast semi-evergreen forests *Southern moist mixed deciduous forests *Southern sub tropical wet hill forests *Southern montane wet temperate forests *Reed breakes *Grass lands *Manmade forests


Divisions of Ranni forest


Goodrical range

The Goodrical forest range is situated in the eastern side of
Pathanamthitta Pathanamthitta (), is a municipality, city in southern Kerala, India, spread over an area of . It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The town has a population of 37,538 (as of 2011 census). The Hindu pilgrim centre Sab ...
district, with an area of . Comparatively, human interference is less in these forests than in others in India. But at times of the
Sabarimala The Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple () is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Ayyappan, who is also known as Dharma Shasta and is the son of the deities Shiva and Mohini (female avatar of the god Vishnu). The temple is situated atop th ...
pilgrimage, these forests ranges are crowded with devotees. Evergreen and semi-evergreen types of forests are here. There are three forest stations under this range: *
Plappally Plappally is a settlement located in the ''Goodrical range'' of the Ranni Forest Division in the state of Kerala, India. The place is an intersection point of Mannarakulanji–Chalakkayam state highway ( NH-183) and Erumely–Thulappally–Pla ...
*Kochukoikkal *Pachakkanam


Vadasserikkara range

The Vadasserikkara range lies to the eastern part of Ranni, with its headquarters at Vadasserikkara. This range covers an area of almost of the Ranni Forest Division. Kakkattar and Kallar, tributaries of the
Pamba River The Pamba River (also called Pampa River) is the longest river in the Indian state of Kerala after Periyar (river), Periyar and Bharathappuzha, and the longest river in the erstwhile former princely state of Travancore. The Sabarimala Temple, d ...
, flow through this range. Small-scale agriculture is done in the populated regions of the Vadasserikkara range, especially on the gentle slopes. The natural forests of this range are classified into west coast tropical evergreen forests, west coast semi-evergreen forests, southern moist mixed deciduous forests, and grasslands. There are three forest stations under Vadasserikkara: * Chittar *Gurunathanmannu *Thannithodu


Ranni range

The Ranni range covers an area of , and its headquarters is at Ranni. Evergreen, semi-evergreen, and deciduous types of forests can be seen here. The three forest stations under this range are: *Karikulam *
Kanamala Kanamala (), commonly known by the name Pambavalley, is a village in Erumely panchayath in Kanjirappally tehsil of Kottayam district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is situated in the border of Kottayam and Pathanamthitta districts, but offici ...
*Rajampara


Index of flora and fauna


Flora

Many unique plants and herbs can be seen in these forest ranges. Medical plants such as Shatavari (''
Asparagus racemosus ''Asparagus racemosus'' (satavar, shatavari, or shatamull, shatawari) is a species of asparagus native from Africa through southern Asia, including the Indian subcontinent, to northern Australia. It grows tall and prefers to take root in gravell ...
''), ''
Solanum anguivi ''Solanum anguivi'' is a plant indigenous to non-arid parts of Africa, and is commonly known as forest bitterberry or African eggplant, although the latter term is most commonly associated with ''Solanum aethiopicum ''Solanum aethiopicum'', ...
'', ''
Desmodium gangeticum Pleurolobus gangeticus, commonly known by the name salparni, is a plant found throughout most parts of India and the Himalayas. Description ''Pleurolobus gangeticus'' is a small shrub. It can grow up to 2–4 feet tall. The leaves are simple a ...
'', ''
Cissus quadrangularis ''Cissus quadrangularis'' is a perennial plant of the grape family. It is commonly known as veldt grape, winged treebine or adamant creeper. The species is native to tropical Asia, the Arabian Peninsula and much of Africa. Description ''Cis ...
'', ''
Pseudarthria viscida ''Pseudarthria'' is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It includes seven species of herbs, subshrubs, and shrubs native to tropical Africa and Asia. Typical habitats are seasonally-dry tropical forest margins, grassland, ...
'', '' Strobilanthes ciliatus'', and ''
Dysoxylum ''Dysoxylum'' is a genus of rainforest trees and shrubs in the flowering plant family Meliaceae. About 34 species are recognised in the genus, distributed from India and southern China, through southeast Asia to New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and A ...
malabaricum'' (Vella akil) grow in the deeper parts of the forest. The eco-system of the forests here is suitable for the growth of these plants. A complete list of plants seen in Ranni division is given below.


Fauna


Fishes and amphibians

The natural streams and rivers in these ranges are the repository of varied fish species and amphibians. Almost 51species of fishes and 43species of amphibians were reported from the various streams and water bodies in the forest divisions of Ranni. They are the following.
For more details


Reptiles and mammals

Kerala's forests are the storehouse of many species of reptiles and mammals. Reptiles of 59species and mammals of 34species were reported from the forests of Ranni. The rain forests here are the habitat of the venomous
King cobra The king cobra (''Ophiophagus hannah'') is a species complex of snakes Endemism, endemic to Asia. With an average of and a record length of , it is the world's longest venomous snake and among the heaviest. Under the genus ''Ophiophagus'', i ...
. Many King cobras were caught by
Vava Suresh Vava Suresh (born 1974) is an Indian wildlife conservationist and a snake expert. He is known for his mission of saving snakes that have strayed into human-inhabited areas in Kerala, India. He has captured 200 (as of November 2020) King cobras, ...
, the snake expert and wildlife conservationist for the
Angamoozhy Angamoozhy is a small village in the Pathanamthitta district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is located near the Kakkad Hydro Electric Project, Kakkad power station and the Sabarimala temple. Geographically, Angamoozhy is located in the West ...
, Chittar, and Moozhiyar regions in the Goodrical range. The mammals are also rich in number, with countless species in these forests.


Birds

There are abundant species of birds in these forests, including some that face extinction. There are 196 known species of birds reported from the Ranni division.


List of birds


Tribal settlements

The forest ranges of Ranni are inhabited by many tribal communities, mainly the Ulladan, Vettuvan and Malavedan, each having their own traditions and beliefs.


See also

*
Department of Forests and Wildlife (Kerala) 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 ...
* Ranni *
Vadasserikkara Vadaserikara is a village in Pathanamthitta district, in the state of Kerala, India. It is one of the 11 villages in Ranni taluk with an area of 6007 hectares. The nearest railway station is Chengannur located at a distance of and sits at th ...


References


External links


Official website of Kerala forest department
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Ranni division-Kerala forest department
Forestry Protected areas of Kerala 1958 establishments in Kerala Protected areas established in 1958 Geography of Pathanamthitta district Tourist attractions in Pathanamthitta district