Srivilliputhur Megamalai Tiger Reserve (SMTR)

• The forest department has identified 12 illegal, unauthorised or unrecognised resorts in SMTR.

ABOUT SRIVILLIPUTHUR MEGAMALAI TIGER RESERVE (SMTR)

• It is spread across the districts of Theni, Virudhunagar and Madurai in Tamil Nadu.
• It lies in the Western Ghats region.
• SMTR is the country’s 51^st and 5^th tiger reserve of Tamil Nadu.
  • Other 4 include Mudumalai, Anamalai, Sathyamangalam and Kalakkad Mundanthurai.
• SMTR was formed by combining Srivilliputhur Grizzled Giant Squirrel Sanctuary and Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary.
• It functions as a connecting link between Kerala’s Periyar Tiger Reserve and Tamil Nadu’s Southern Kalakkad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve.
• SMTR will provide protection to Megamalai, the Vaigai River’s primary catchment, in turn helping water levels to rise in the river.
• Vegetation is a blend of tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, dry deciduous and moist mixed deciduous woods, and grasslands.
• Fauna includes elephants, tiger, leopard, nilgiri tahr, gaur, spotted deer, barking deer, sambar deer, wild boar, porcupine, nilgiri langur, lion-tailed macaque.