The Tirunelli-Kudrakote corridor is a 2,200-acre strip of land that links the Tirunelli and Begur Forest Reserves. And it’s a lifeline for 6,500 Asian elephants – the world’s largest herd – as well as a biodiversity hotspot.
We’ve been working with the Wildlife Trust of India to secure the corridor, protect the elephants within it and help local villagers find a better life elsewhere.
When the project began, the corridor was home to 54 families in five settlements. Two of these settlements have now been helped to relocate away from the danger zone. And in 2010, we’ll do the same for the third settlement and much of the fourth.
Our aim is to secure protected status for the Tirunelli-Kudrakote corridor – and ensure that Asian elephants roam it in safety for many years to come.
Tirunelli-Kudrakote Elephant Corridor
Aim:
The long-term objective of this acquisition is to secure a continuous area of land between two immediately adjacent protected areas; the Tirunelli Reserve Forest and the Begur Reserve Forest. The ultimate goal is to successfully purchase and/or rehabilitate all the current residents and achieve legal protected status for the corridor.
Results:
As a first step in addressing the problem of a fragmented elephant habitat, the Wildlife Trust of India and its regional partner, the Asian Elephant Research and Conservation Centre in Bangalore, identified 88 elephant corridors in India and published a report entitled “Right of Passage: elephant corridors of India”. Overall, the Wildlife Trust of India aims to conserve the Asian elephant in India by securing and restoring all the vital elephant corridors of the country.
The Tirunelli-Kudrakote corridor links Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary of Kerala with the Brahmagiri Wildlife Sanctuary of Karnataka through the forests of Wayanad North Forest Division. This is also the home of largest population of elephants in the southern region of India. However, five settlements within the corridor – Thirulakunnu, Valia Emmadi, Kottapadi, Pulayankolly and Edayur vayal – are considered to be major threats impeding free movement of elephants and other wildlife.
Of these the Wildlife Trust of India is already working in three to secure the corridor area. In the first settlement, Thirulakunnu, 9.16 acres of land has been secured. In the second, Valiya emmadi, 6.7 acres of land have been secured (in partnership with elephant family et al.). Elephant family has also been supporting the Trust’s work in the third settlement at Pullayankolly over the course of 2009. This work will continue into 2010, along with much of the work required to secure the fourth section at Kottapadi.
Status:
Supported since 2007