Biogeographical Province- 4.01.01 (Malabar Rainforest)

Geographical Location- Situated within the south-eastern parts of Koodogu (Coorg) and south-western parts of Mysore District. It borders on Kerala State and Mysore Town is about 50km to the north-east. The southern border is contiguous with the reservoir of the dammed Kabini River. The south-eastern boundary follows the state border and the western border running along the main Mysore-Mangalore road. The northern boundary extends along this road to just south of Hunsur and the eastern boundary runs from this point south to the Kabini Reservoir. The Brahmagiri Mountains are to the west of the park (Karanth, 1983; Israel and Sinclair, 1987). 11°55'-12°20'N, 76°10'-76°20'E

Date and History of Establishment- Created a national park in 1974. Originally designated a 28,700ha game sanctuary in 1955, centred on Nagarhole settlement. Enlarged to its present size in 1974 by combining Mysore forests and Nagarhole Sanctuary. Proposed extensions to the national park total 14,400ha and include the Kaveri River forests to the north and the remaining part of the Kakankote Reserve Forest (Rodgers and Panwar, 1980; Karanth, 1987). The national park is included in the proposed Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (Gadgil and Sukumar, 1986).

Area- 57,200ha. The national park is contiguous with Bandipur National Park (87,400ha) and Kakankote Reserve Forest (7,500ha) to the south.

Land Tenure- State

Altitude- Ranges from 600m to 900m (Sestiadti, 1986) with a mean altitude of 700m.

Physical Features- The landscape is generally one of gentle slopes and shallow valleys. The largest river draining the area in the south is the Kabini, which was dammed in 1974. Other important rivers include Lakshmana, Teentha and Nagarhole. There are several perennial and seasonal streams and tanks, all of which drain into the four major rivers. Swamps (hadlus) are numerous in the Coorg Wynad due to the high rainfall (Sestiadti, 1980; Israel and Sinclair, 1981; Karanth, 1983).

Climate- Three seasons are usually recognised: a wet season or monsoon, lasting from June to September; followed by a cool season that lasts up to January; and then a hot season from February to May. Seasonal variations in temperature are moderate, ranging from between 15°C and 28°C. Rainfall is usually about 1500mm per year (Israel and Sinclair, 1987).

Vegetation- There are two main types of vegetation: moist deciduous forest which is found in northern and western parts where rainfall is usually above 1200mm; and dry deciduous forest in the south-eastern part. Moist deciduous forests are tall and dense with a two-storey canopy. The upper canopy, at approximately 30m, is dominated by mathi Terminalia tomentosa, nandi Lagerstroemia lanceolata, honne Pterocarpus marsupium, tadasalu Grewia tilaefolia, rosewood Dalbergia latifolia and teak Tectona grandis. The lower canopy has the prolific fruit yielders: nelli Phyllanthus emblica, kooli Gonclina arborea, kadutega Dillenia pentagyna and Randia spp. The shrub layer is usually very dense and varied in composition. A unique feature of these forests is the open grassy swamps, locally called hadlus, where the grass is lush year-round. In the dry deciduous forests, the canopy is lower and trees are more widely spaced. A second canopy is barely discernable. Many moist forest trees are present: dindalu Anogeissus latifolia is usually the commonest; kakhe Cassia fistula, flame-of-the-forest Butea monosperia and bamboo Dendrocalamus strictus are all common. Patches of open grassland are present (Karanth, 1983; Israel and Sinclair, 1987). Bamboo flowered and died off in 1965, an event which occurs every 40-50 years (Sestiadti, 1986). Much of the park is covered by planations of teak and species of eucalyptus (Nair et al., 1978).

Fauna- The fauna is very diverse. Primates include langur Presbytis entellus, bonnet macaque Macaca radiata and slender loris Loris tardigradus. Notable carnivores are tiger Panthera tigris (E), which is present in larger numbers than in Bandipur National Park, leopard Panthera pardus (T), leopard cat Felis bengalencis, jungle cat F. chaus, jackal Canis aureus, wild dog Cuon alpinus (V), sloth bear Melursus ursinus (I) and rarely hyena Hyaena hyaena (Salim et al., 1985). Herbivores include elephant Elephas maximus (E), with a population of approximately 300 animals, spotted deer Cervus axis, sambar C. unicolor, Indian muntjac Muntiacus muntjak, four-horned antelope Tetracerus quadricornis, mouse-deer Tragulus meminna, gaur Bos gaurus (V) and wild boar Sus scrofa. Small mammals include: civet Vivernicula indica, common palm civet Paradoxurus hermaphroditus, mongooses Herpestes fuscus and H. vitticollis, common otter Lutra lutra (V), hare Lepus nigricollis, pangolin Manis crassicaudata, giant flying squirrel Petaurista petaurista, giant squirrel Ratufa indica maxima and porcupine Hystrix indica (Nair et al., 1978; Salim et al., 1985). Over 250 species of birds are present, including the endemics malabar trogon Harpactes faciatus and malabar pied-hornbill Anthracoceros coronatus, and birds of prey such as crested hawk-eagle Spizaetus cirrhatus and crested serpent-eagle Spilornis cheela. Among reptiles, mugger Crocodylus palustris (V), monitor lizard Varanus bengalensis, and rock python Python molurus (V) are present (Nair et al., 1978; Karanth, 1983; Salim et al., 1985; Israel and Sinclair, 1987).

Cultural Heritage- The ruins of towns, villages and an extensive network of irrigation channels and tanks are still evident (Sestiadti, 1986). When the Kabini recedes the remains of a khedda (stockade), used to catch elephants during the 19th Century, can be seen (Israel and Sinclair, 1987).