Till as recently as the middle of nineteenth century, 70% of the geographical area of Kerala was under dense forest cover. However, by the dawn of 20th Century this was reduced to less than 50%. In the pre independence era, no significant and unified enactment in the field of wildlife conservation was made in the princely states of Travancore and Cochin and the Madras Presidency because the focus was entirely on revenue oriented forest management. The appointment of S.C.H Robinson as the first Game Warden by the erstwhile Maharajah of Travancore in 1933 was a significant milestone in the history of Wildlife Conservation in the State. Based on his recommendations in 1934, Nellikkampetty was declared a Game Sanctuary, the first ever in the State, however to serve as the exclusive hunting preserve of the royalty. This was to be followed by the creation of an independent game department in 1940. More areas from the nearby Rattendon Valley and Mount Plateau were added to Periyar Lake Reserve to form the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary in 1950. More Protected Areas were to come up in the succeeding years.
Kerala Wildlife Destinations
Idukki Wild Life Sanctuary:
Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary which came into existende in 1976, is located in the Thodupuzha and Udumbanchola taluks in Idukki district. An enchanting place marked with steep mountains and undulating hills and valleys. The world famous Idukki arch dam and the vast increase the importance of the area.
THATTEKKADU BIRD SANCTUARY: Constituted during 1983 it is the only Bird sanctuary in Kerala and is licated in Kothamangalam Taluk of Eranakulam District.
CHIMMONY WILD LIFE SANCTUARY
Chimmony Wildlife sanctuary established in 1984 is situated in the Mukundapuram Taluk of Thrissur District. The headquarters of the sanctuary is at Echippara which is 28 kms away from the Amballoor village in the north direction. Amballoor is 12kms away from Thrissur town in the south direction
NEYYAR WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
Nestled in the southeast corner of the Western Ghats, the Neyyar sanctuary is the drainage basin of the Neyyar river and its tributaries – Mullayar and Kallar There are 39 species of mammals, 176 sp. of birds, 30 species of reptiles, 17 species of amphibians and 40 species of fishes are reported from the sanctuary The common mammals found are, Tiger , Leopard, sloth bear, Elephant, sambar, barking deer, bonnet macaque, Nilgiri Langur, Nilgiri tahr etc.
PEPPARA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
The sanctuary constitutes he catchments of peppara dam constructed across the Karamana river and commissioned during 1983 to augment the drinking water supply to Thiruvananthapuram city and suburban areas.
SHENDURNEY WILDLIFE SANCTUARY
Shendurney wildlife sanctuafy, part of Agsthyamali Biosphere Reserve, owes its name to the endemic species,Ghuta Travancorica, locally known as ‘Chenkurunji’. The sanctuary is a valley of green splendour acclaimed for its rich biodiversity lying on either side of the Shendurney river.
