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The Kazhuveli wetland located near Villupuram in Tamil Nadu has been declared a bird sanctuary by the Environment, Climate Change and Forest Department, and will henceforth be called the ‘Kazhuveli Birds Sanctuary’.
The 5,151.60 hectares of land in Vanur and Marakkanam taluks will be the 16th bird sanctuary in Tamil Nadu.
According to a notification issued by the government, the proposal by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest and Chief Wild Life Warden Shekar Kumar Niraj was accepted by Environment and Forest Secretary Surpiya Sahu.
- The declaration was made under subsection (1) of section 18 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- The Kazhuveli wetland is second largest Brackish Water Lake in South India , After Pulicat Lake.
- Constitutional Provisions for Wildlife:
- The 42nd Amendment Act, 1976, Forests and Protection of Wild Animals and Birds was transferred from State to Concurrent List.
- Article 51 A (g) of the Constitution states that it shall be the fundamental duty of every citizen to protect and improve the natural environment including forests and Wildlife.
- Article 48 A in the Directive Principles of State policy, mandates that the State shall endeavor to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country.
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: The Act was enacted for the protection of plants and animal species.
- It extends to the whole of India except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.
- Prior to this legislation, India had only five designated national parks.
- At present, there are 101 National Parks in India.
- Authorities Appointed under the Act:
- The Central Government appoints the Director of Wildlife Preservation and assistant directors and other officers subordinate to the Director.
- The State Governments appoint a Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) who heads the Wildlife Wing of the department and exercises complete administrative control over Protected Areas (PAs) within a state.
- The state governments are also entitled to appoint Wildlife Wardens in each district.
| Name of Wildlife Sanctuary | Sanctuary Area in Ha | District in which located | Designation of the Officer | Year in which started |
| WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES | ||||
| Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary | 21776.00 | Nilgiris | CCF & FD, MTR, Ooty | 1940 |
| Mundanthurai Wildlife Sanctuary (R.F. 35228.38 + R.L.22979.20) | 58207.58 | Tirunelveli | CCF & FD, KMTR, Tirunelveli | 1962 |
| Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary | 1728.81 | Nagapattinam | WLW, Nagapattinam | 1967 |
| Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary | 84149.00 | Coimbatore | CCF & FD, ATR, Pollachi | 1976 |
| Kalakad Wildlife Sanctuary | 22358.00 | Tirunelveli | CCF & FD, KMTR, Tirunelveli | 1976 |
| Vallanadu Black Buck Sanctuary | 1641.00 | Tuticorin | DFO, Tuticorin | 1987 |
| Grizzled Giant Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary | 48520.00 | Virudhunagar | WLW, Srivilliputtur | 1988 |
| Kanyakumari Wildlife Sanctuary | 40239.55 | Kanyakumari | DFO, Kanyakumari | 2007 |
| Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary | 141160.94 | Erode | DFO, Sathyamangalam | 2008, 2011 |
| Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary | 26910.81 | Theni and Madurai | WLW, Theni, | 2009 |
| Point Calimere Wildlife Sanctuary Block A and Block B | 12407.27 | Thanjavur and Tiruvarur Nagapattinam | WLW, Nagapattinam DFO, Tiruvarur | 2013 |
| Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary | 60895.482 | Dindigul and Theni | DFO, Kodaikanal | 2013 |
| Gangaikondan Spotted Deer Sanctuary | 288.40 | Tirunelveli | DFO, Tirunelveli | 2013 |
| Cauvery North Wildlife Sanctuary | 50433.48 | Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri | DFO, Hosur | 2014 |
| Nellai Wildlife Sanctuary | 35673.33 | Tirunelveli | DFO, Tirunelveli | 2015 |
| Total | 606389.657 | |||
| BIRDS SANCTUARIES | ||||
| Vettangudi birds Sanctuary | 38.40 | Sivagangai | DFO, Sivagangai | 1977 |
| Pulicat Lake Birds Sanctuary | 15367 | Tiruvallur | WLW, Chennai | 1980 |
| Karikili Birds Sanctuary | 61.21 | Kancheepuram | WLW, Chennai | 1989 |
| Kanjirankulam Birds Sanctuary | 104.00 | Ramanathapuram | WLW, Ramad | 1989 |
| Chitrangudi Birds Sanctuary | 47.63 | Ramanathapuram | WLW, Ramad | 1989 |
| Koonthankulam-Kadankulam Birds Sanctuary | 129.00 | Tirunelveli | DFO, Tirunelveli | 1994 |
| Vellode Birds Sanctuary | 77.18 | Erode | DFO, Erode | 1997 |
| Vedanthangal Birds Sanctuary | 30.00 | Kancheepuram | WLW, Chennai | 1998 |
| Udayamarthandpuram Birds Sanctuary | 45.28 | Tiruvarur | DFO, Tiruvarur | 1998 |
| Melaselvanur-Kilaselvanur Birds Sanctuary | 593.08 | Ramanathapuram | WLW, Ramad | 1998 |
| Vaduvoor birds Sanctuary | 128.10 | Tiruvarur | DFO, Tiruvarur | 1999 |
| Karaivetti Birds Sanctuary | 453.71 | Ariyalur | DFO, Ariyalur | 2000 |
| Theerthangal Bird Sanctury | 29.29 | Ramanathapuram | WLW, Ramad | 2010 |
| Sakkarakottai Tank Birds Sanctuary | 230.49 | Ramanathapuram | WLW, Ramad | 2012 |
| Oussudu Lake Birds Sanctuary | 331.785 | Villupuram | DFO, Villupuram | 2015 |
| Total | 17666.155 | |||
| NATIONAL PARKS | ||||
| Guindy National Park | 270.57 | Chennai | WLW, Chennai | 1978 |
| Gulf of Mannar Marine Park (21 Islands) Reserve Land – 623.12 Ha + Sea area – 51978.88 Ha | 52602 | Ramanathapuram & Tuticorin | WLW, Ramnad | 1986 |
| Indira Gandhi National Park | 11710 | Coimbatore | CCF & FD, ATR, Pollachi | 1989 |
| Mukurthi National Park | 7846 | Nilgiris | CCF & FD, MTR, Ooty | 2001 |
| Mudumalai National Park | 10323 | Nilgiris | CCF & FD, MTR, Ooty | 2005 |
| Total | 82751.57 |
