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Birds & Butterflies Survey of Coimbatore Forest Division
Pavendhan A
[email protected]
Need for the Study
Coimbatore Forest division spreads over 694 square km with seven forest ranges namely Sirumugai, Mettupalayam,
Karamadai, Periyanaickenpalayam, Coimbatore, Boluvampatty and Madukkarai. It is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and
bounded by Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, Nilgiris, Mannarkad and Palakkad Forest divisions. The diversified vegetation in
the division includes evergreen, grasslands, moist and dry deciduous, dry thorn and riparian forests.
Birds and Butterflies are indicators of healthy environment and eco- system. The state of Tamil Nadu, which comprises varied
habitats, has an estimated 513 bird species and 324 butterfly target species. Coimbatore Forest Division (CFD) which falls under
the Western Ghats and Coimbatore District is home to about 380 + birds and about 270+ butterflies.
In this regard and in order to assess the occurrence of Birds and Butterflies in the Coimbatore Forest Division (CFD), the District
Forest Officer of CFD, Mr. D. Venkatesh IFS had directed to conduct a survey on birds and butterflies. Accordingly, 15-17, No-
vember 2019 were chosen as the survey period and planning the exercise started immediately. DFO, ACF and Rangers of all the
7 ranges had guided in the execution of the survey which was coordinated to the micro level by Mr. D. Boominathan, Land-
scape Coordinator, WWF-India, Mr. P.R. Selvaraj, President, Coimbatore Nature Society, and Mr. A. Pavendhan, The Nature and
Butterfly Society. The three NGOs WWF-India, Coimbatore Nature Society (CNS) and The Nature and Butterfly Society (TNBS)
were the coordinators for this exercise along with the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. This first ever combined exercise as-
sumes a greater significance as the exercise will help get a baseline data of birds and butterflies and will be instrumental for the
conservation of these along with the eco-system, they were part of.
PATTAMPOOCHI
A TNBS MAGAZINE
WINGS 4 VEINS 1
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