Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary

Coordinates: 15°34′18″N 74°10′15″E / 15.57167°N 74.17083°E / 15.57167; 74.17083
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary
Wildlife sanctuary
Precipitation
3,800 millimetres (150 in)
Avg. summer temperature28.2 °C (82.8 °F)
Avg. winter temperature23.3 °C (73.9 °F)
Tiger reserve proposal under review

The Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is a 208.5-km2 (80.5-mi2)

tiger reserve because of the presence of Bengal tigers.[3]

Infrastructure

The sanctuary is administered by the Goa State Forest Department.[2] The range forest officer of Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is Vishwas Chodankar. The RFO office is near the Forest Department office in Valpoi. The sanctuary is protected by 11 forest guards under the supervision of three round foresters. The sanctuary is divided into 16 beats with the three round foresters stationed in Kodal, Charavane and Caranzol in Sattari taluka. The sanctuary office has a four-wheel-drive vehicle and a motorcycle for patrolling.[4]

There are no public tourist facilities in the sanctuary, but there are Forest Department rest houses at Valpoi and Keri.[5] There is an Irrigation Department rest house above the Anjunem Dam. The Anjunem Dam is located on the Sanquelim - Belgaum highway SH-31 in Chorla ghat at about 10 km (6.2 mi) from Sanquelim town.

There are three private ecoresorts in Chorla ghat,[6] the Wildernest Nature Conservation Facility,[7] the Eco Adventure Resort,[8] and the Swapnagandha Resort.[9]

Geography

Goa is the only state in India which has protected the complete Western Ghats' section within a state. Goa's four wildlife sanctuaries are located on the eastern side of the state in the Western Ghats, covering an area of about 750 km2 (290 sq mi).[10] The Mahdei Wildlife Sanctuary and Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park all fall within the Mhadei River basin. The Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is located between 15° 48" 33' to 14° 53" 54' N and 74° 20" 13' to 73° 40" 33' E.[11]

Bhimgad Forests,

Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary, Goa, India

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Elevations among the hills of the sanctuary range from 560 m (1,840 ft) in the center to 200 m (660 ft) in the west. The sanctuary includes the Vagheri Hills, some of the highest peaks in North Goa. Vagheri peak at elevation560 m (1,840 ft), the highest in the sanctuary, is near the village of Keri in Sanquelim.[13] Other peaks in Goa include Sonsogor, the highest in Goa at 1,166 m (3,825 ft), Catlanchimauli 1,107 m (3,632 ft), Vaguerim 1,100 m (3,600 ft) and Morlemchogar1,000 m (3,300 ft).[14]

A unique discovery of the Vagheri hills is the presence of a flowing lake or waterbody shaped in the exact map of India, midway to climbing the hill while looking down at the valley.[citation needed]

The Mhadei River, known downstream as the Mandovi River, the lifeline of the state of Goa, originates in Karnataka, travels28.8 km (17.9 mi) in Karnataka, passes 9.4 km (5.8 mi) through the Mahdei Wildlife Sanctuary and meets the Arabian Sea at Panaji after traveling 81.2 km (50.5 mi) in Goa.[15] See map showing rivers in Mhadei Wildlife sanctuary.

Waterfalls

Mhadei Sanctuary is noted for its many waterfalls, especially the twin 143 m (469 ft) Vazra Sakla waterfalls and the Virdi Falls in the Chorla Ghats region on the escarpment of the Goa-Maharashtra-Karnataka border in the Swapnagandha valley forest near Virdi village.[16] The 16 waterfalls at 1.5 km (0.93 mi) up from Hivre village are 15.5 km (9.6 mi) from the Valpoi.[17]

The Ladkyacho Vozar plunge waterfall, 1.5 km (0.93 mi) northeast of Surla, Goa's highest village is at Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary and Mollem National Park, and Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary is located just to the south of Mhadei in Goa.[10]

Fauna

This region is part of the Western Ghats landscape, and is regarded as a Global

Biodiversity Hotspot.[18][19]

Other

black-faced langur (commonly found in small groups in the tree canopy), Indian pangolin (rarely found in secondary forests), slender loris (rare and endangered), bonnet macaque (commonly found in troupes).[23]

Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary is an

white-bellied blue-flycatcher and crimson-backed sunbird.[12] A total of 255 bird species have been recorded in the Sanctuary. Of these, 53 showed direct signs of breeding here.[24]

striped keelback, Travancore wolf snake, tree snake, Whitaker's sand boa and the yellow-spotted wolf snake.[23]

Malabar gliding frog.[25]

Mhadei area is known for three rare species of

Nadkarni's caecilian, the Mhadei caecilian and the Goa caecilian which was recently discovered and described from Keri village.[26]

At least 257 recorded species of butterflies are found in the sanctuary of the 330 recorded species in the Western Ghats.

common jezebel, common Indian crow, blue Mormon and other species of butterflies can are found here. Prominent among these is the blue tiger butterfly, which can be found until the summer.[13][27]

  • Nilgiri wood-pigeon
    Nilgiri wood-pigeon
  • Saw-scaled viper
    Saw-scaled viper
  • Malabar flying frog
    Malabar flying frog
  • Glassy tiger
    Glassy tiger
  • Southern birdwing, the largest butterfly in South India; wingspan: 140 mm (5.5 in) to 190 mm (7.5 in)
    Southern birdwing, the largest butterfly in South India; wingspan: 140 mm (5.5 in) to 190 mm (7.5 in)
  • Chafara (red frangipani)
    Chafara (red frangipani)

Flora and Funga

Sacred groves

Sacred groves were once common at almost all villages in Sattari. They traditionally render protection to a variety of flora and fauna. Copardem, three kilometres from Valpoi, is a village famed for the sacred grove tradition known locally as Devachi rai, a tradition of community conservation carried out in the name of the local deity. Formerly spread across 37,620 m2 (0.03762 km2) of government land, much of the sacred grove is now encroached upon for cashew plantations and agriculture. The sacred grove is an excellent example of the old tradition of uneducated villagers protecting their environment.[28]

Among its variety of flora are towering trees such as shidam (

Tetrameles nudiflora) which support various other life forms in the grove. Creepers like garkani (Entada scandens)[29] with their sword-like pods are found on the shidam, while the tree also houses beehives. The grove also has an evergreen species of Ashoka, which bears unique saffron-coloured flowers. Pandanus furcatus,[30] known locally known as kegadi, attracts village women when it bears flowers covered in yellow and soft thickets. During the monsoon, bioluminescent fungi growing on dead wood glitter at night. The grove is also conducive for the growth of a variety of edible mushrooms, such as roen alami, khutyali, sonyali and shringar.[28]

In addition to mammals, the tall trees attract birds, including the crested serpent eagle, Malabar grey hornbill and pied hornbill.[28]

Nanoda village, 11 km (6.8 mi) from Valpoi, has an ancient tradition of nature worship. It is etymologically related to the naked woman tree, locally known as the nano (Euphorbia tirucalli - pencil tree). Ancestors who lived in harmony with nature evolved the tradition of protecting the forest in honour of the local deity. Nanoda has two sacred groves named Nirankarachi Rai after the holy spirit Nirankar: one lies on the border of Maloli and Nanoda and the other in Nanoda.[31]

The latter is slowly being weathered away by changing values and encroachments. In the past, large areas of forest land were protected through sacred groves such as Nirankarachi Rai. One would find various species of indigenous trees in these groves and no one dared cut a tree. In this way, villagers ensured their protection. The densely forested groves were also used by villagers to keep sculptures of village deities. Today, because of encroachments, the size of the groves has decreased, while the sculptures lie exposed to the vagaries of nature. Nanoda's Nirankarachi Rai, formerly spread across a large area, is now confined to a small patch where the

khait (Mimosa catechu), and chafara (red frangipani) trees are found. Majestic trees such as bhillo maad (coconut) have already been felled.[31]

Inside the sacred grove are 15 stone sculptures-of Gajlaxmi, Mahishasurmardini, Ravalnath, Brahmani, a horse rider and warriors-which are a part of Goa's archaeological heritage, weathering away. Animals such as sheryo (pangolin) and shekaro (Malabar giant squirrel) are found in sacred groves.[31]

Threats

Threats to the unique ecology and biodiversity of the Mhedai Wildlife Sanctuary include illegal heavy vehicular traffic

The Kalasa-Banduri Nala project.[37]

Mhadei tiger reserve

Bengal tiger in neighbouring Karnataka

Proposal

On 20 June 2011,

conservation dependent species.[3] He suggested expanding the tiger reserve beyond the existing Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.[38][39]

[40]

On 8 August 2011, Goa Forests Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues questioned the existence of tigers in the state. "It is not my job to know whether there are any tigers here." Rodrigues also said, "the state government would not reply to a directive from former union environment and forests minister minister Jairam Ramesh asking the Goa government to submit a proposal for setting up a tiger reserve, unless specifically asked for. Why should we reply?" It is alleged that the Goa government's sluggishness to acknowledge the presence of tigers in Goa is linked to the state's Rs. 6,500 crore (US$ ~13,000,000.) mining industry, which rings the Western Ghats and most of the tiger terrain near the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary.[41]

On 9 August 2011, there was public announcement that "in principle" approval was accorded by the

Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 the Goa state government was then authorised to notify Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve.[42]

There is considerable local community support for creation of the tiger reserve which would ensure long term protection of

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Dr. Shashi Kumar, IFS, in support of Goa's first tiger reserve.[43]

Tiger presence

The contiguous forests of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra including the wildlife sanctuaries of Goa in the Mhadei river valley, the

Dodamarg in Maharashtra have been named as Tiger Conservation Units (TCU) numbers 68 to 72, class: II (minimum habitat area to support 50 tigers or documented evidence of 50 tigers) and III (some information on threats and conservation measures is available, but not classified as Class I or II) by WWFInternational.[44]

The Mhadei region lies along the Vagheri hills which means "abode of tiger".[45] In 2011, a map showing the locations of several tiger sightings in and near Mhedai Wildlife sanctuary was prepared by the Vivekanand Environment Awareness Brigade (VEAB) at Keri.

On 24 January 2011 government officials and a senior environmentalist found pugmarks of a tiger adult and a cub near the Anjunem dam, confirming the presence of tiger in the area. Parshuram Kambli, working on the dam first reported the pugmarks. Residents living near the dam supported the claim, stating they have been hearing the tiger roar in the past fortnight. In December 2010, a local resident, Pandurang Gawas, and his son saw a tiger and cub crossing the road that passes alongside the dam. Also in 2011, the Goa Forest Department recorded tiger pug marks in this area during the Goa Wildlife Census conducted with the help of Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India (WII).[citation needed]

The 2010

Sahyadris in Maharashtra, and confirmed occupancy of tigers in the state's forests.[46] In October, 2009 poachers were arrested near Mhadei with a tiger carcass and in recent years a live adult female tiger with a cub was sighted in the area.[47][48]

The staff of the Wildernest Resort at

domestic buffalo by an adult male tiger. Confirmation of the presence of a male tiger came to light after villagers from Chorla and surrounding areas reported sightings and viewed pugmarks in several locations in the Chorla Ghats.[49]

In May 2019, camera traps recorded tigers in this sanctuary[20] and Mollem National Park, the first records in the state since 2013.[21][50][51]

References

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