LOCATION AND APPROACH

The 90 km2 Chinnar wildlife sanctuary is located in the eastern part of the high ranges of southern western ghats of kerala state. It is regarded as one of the unique protected areas in the whole of the western ghats due to its ecological, floral, geomorphological and cultural significance. The habitat types range from high altitude Shola-grassland to dry thorny scrub. The sanctuary is also contiguous to Eravikulam national park, kurinjimala sanctuary, anaimudi shola national park and Indira Gandhi wildlife sanctuary of Tamil Nadu.

Chinnar is accessible from Kochi (178 km) and Coimbatore (115 km) airports along main roads. The Munnar - Udumalpet road that passes through the sanctuary divides it into more or less equal parts. Munnar, the major tourist centre, is 60 km from Chinnar. The nearest town is Marayur (16 km)

LANDSCAPE AND CLIMATE

The terrain is highly undulating with altitudes ranging from 500 m at Chinnar to over 2300 m at Nandala malai. The area is drained by two perennial rivers namely Pambar and Chinnar. The sanctuary is situated in the rain shadow region of the western ghats, getting rains mostly during the north-east monsoons (October-December). The plains are generally hot but the higher altitudes are cool.

FLORA AND FAUNA

Due to the significant variation in altitude and rainfall, Chinnar has a wide array of habitat types like deciduous forests, Sholas and grasslands. It has about 1000 species of flowering plants and is a well known repository of medicinal plants. There are 114 endemics and Albizzia Lathamii, a critically endangered tree has been recently reported from the dry forests. Chinnar has recorded the largest number of reptilian fauna in Kerala including the mugger crocodile. With 225 recorded species of birds, it is one of the richest areas of south India in avian diversity. The riverine forests