Description

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Context :

Recently, Periyar Tiger Conservation Foundation introduced a real time monitoring & networking system in the Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary.
It comes under the Thiruvananthapuram Forest Division to increase conservation efforts.
Peppara is one of the important sanctuaries but Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary is the largest one in Kerala.

About Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary:

Category	Key Point
Situated in	Thiruvananthapuram District, Kerala, India
Established in	1983
Major Feature are	Catchments of Peppara Dam on the Karamana River
Altitude Range from	100 m to 1717 m
Prominent Peaks are	Chemmunjimottai (1717 m), Athirumalai (1594 m)
Nearby Natural Feature includes	Vazhvanthol Waterfall

Forest Types of Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary:

Type of Forest	Key Point
Tropical Evergreen Forests	It means Dense forests with rich biodiversity
Moist Mixed Deciduous Forests	In covers Forests with seasonal shedding of leaves
Semi-Evergreen Forests	It includes Forests that are partially evergreen, with a mix of deciduous trees
Myristica Swamp Forests	Wetlands covered by Myristica species

Biodiversity of Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary:

Category	Key Point
Flora	Includes species such as Terminalia paniculta, T. bellerica, Pterocarpus marsupium, Palaquium ellipticum, Mesua ferrea, Hopea parviflora, Bombax ceiba
Mammals	Covera Tiger, Leopard, Sloth bear, Asian Elephant, Sambar, Barking deer, Lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur, Nilgiri tahr
Birds : 233 species, Reptiles : 46 species, Amphibians : 13 species, Fishes : 27 species

About Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary (PNP):

It is largest wildlife sanctuary in Kerala.
It also serves as a tiger reserve and elephant reserve
It is a Part of the Western Ghats
It is also part of UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves

Location:

It is situated in Idukki & Pathanamthitta districts, Kerala
It was Named based on the Periyar River, which flows through the reserve

Flora and Fauna:

Flora:
- Teak, mangoes, rosewood, jamun, jacarandas, terminalias, tamarind, royal ponciana, bamboos
Fauna:
- Elephants, wild pigs, sambar, gaur, mouse deer, barking deer, Indian wild dog, tiger
- Rare primates: lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri Langur, Gee's Golden Langur, Common Langur, Bonnet Macaque

Source: Thehindu

PRACTICE QUESTION

Q. Which river is associated with the catchments of the Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary?

A) Periyar River
B) Karamana River
C) Pamba River
D) Muthirapuzha River

Answer: B) Karamana River

Explanation:

The Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Kerala, has its catchment area associated with the Karamana River, which originates from the Western Ghats and flows through Thiruvananthapuram district.