Date of Setting:          1986

Biome:                          Grasslands & Tropical Montane, Moist, Dry deciduous and Wet Evergreen Forests

Location:                     States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala

Protected Areas:      Wyanad, Nagarhole, Bandipur, Mudumalai, Mukurti and Silent Valley

Elevation:                    300 to 2623 MSL

Total Area:                  5520 sq. Kms

Flora:                          Area rich in a variety of species. Around 112 endemics and 53 RET species. The Nilgiri District alone has more than 6000 recorded species of flora.

Fauna:                        More than 100 species of mammals, 550 of birds, 30 of reptiles and amphibians have been reported. Largest known populations of the endagered lion tailed macaque and the Nilgiri tahr, largest population in South India of gaur, elephant, tiger, sambar and chital. Freshwater fishes of genera Horabogrus, Bhavania and Travancoria are restricted to Western Ghats, as also 4 genera of primitive amphibians, a family Uropeltidae of snakes, Schoenicola amongst birds and Platycanthomys amongst mammals.

Adivasis                     It forms home to several adivasi communities, including the only surviving hunter-gatherers of the Indian Sub-continent – the Cholanaikans in the New Amarambalam forests. Apart from the Todas – a well known pastoral group in the upper Nilgiris, there are other communities, such as Paniyas, Irulas, Kurumbas, Kurichiyans, Mullukurumbans, Betta Kurumbas, Kasabas, Adiyans, Alars, etc