Kerala Tradition & Fascinating Destinations 2014 Kerala Tradition & Destinations 2014 | Page 59

Kerala has a total forest cover of 11,125.59 Sq km which
is 28.90% of the land area of the state. Much of the
forest cover of Kerala is spread over the Western Ghats,
which is one of the 18 biodiversity hot spots of the
world considered to be the repository of endangered
flora and fauna. There are 28 vegetation types in the
state, 51% of the forest cover is in the southern part
and 49% in the northern and central regions. Almost
all districts (with the exception of Alappuzha) have
very good forest cover. Wildlife sanctuaries are mainly
intended to ensure natural conditions necessary to
protect nationally significant species, biotic
communities or physical features of the environment
where these require specific human manipulation for
their perpetuation. Each sanctuary has separate
management plan and the extent of the sanctuary has
been divided into zones with specific management
prescriptions. National Parks are large natural or near
natural areas set aside to protect large-scale
ecological processes, along with the complement of
species and ecosystems characteristic of the area.