வனத் துறை

Tamil Nadu covers 1,30,058 sq km - 3.96% of India's area - spanning Coastal Plains, Eastern Ghats, Central Plateau and Western Ghats.

ISFR 2023: forest cover 26,450.22 sq km (20.34% of the State), and forest plus tree cover 31,820.94 sq km (24.47%).

Tamil Nadu's forests are grouped by temperature into Tropical, Montane Subtropical and Montane Temperate, and further into nine types by moisture and structure.

Faunal diversity: 165 freshwater fish, 76 amphibian, 177 reptile, 454 bird and 187 mammal species.

Of India's 17,672 angiosperms, Tamil Nadu hosts 5,640 species - the highest in the country - with 533 endemics and 230 red-listed.

Protection network: 14 Forest Protection Squads, 17 Forest Stations, 11 Roving Check Posts and 129 Forest Check Posts.

Fire management runs from the State Forest Fire Control Centre and 34 district centres under the Tamil Nadu Forest Fire Management System.

ISFR 2023 puts the State's forest carbon stock, including trees outside forests, at 217.56 million tonnes - 2.99% of India's total.

Individual and community forest rights are protected under the Forest Rights Act, 2006. The State's tribal population is 7.21 lakh, 1.10% of the total (Census 2011).

Two firsts to memorise: the Tamil Nadu Wild Elephants Preservation Act of 1873, and India's first bird sanctuary at Vedanthangal in 1936.

National Parks are declared under Section 35 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972; Tamil Nadu has five.

Vedanthangal, notified 1936, is India's first bird sanctuary - just 30 hectares in Chengalpattu.

The five National Parks with years: Guindy 1978, Gulf of Mannar Marine 1986, Indira Gandhi 1989, Mukurthi 2001 and Mudumalai 2005.

Wildlife Sanctuaries are notified under Sections 18 and 26A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Mudumalai, notified 1940, is the oldest wildlife sanctuary in the State; Sathyamangalam at 1,41,160.94 ha is the largest.

With 18 notified bird sanctuaries - the Greater Flamingo Bird Sanctuary declared in 2025 among them - Tamil Nadu ranks first in India in number of bird sanctuaries.

Conservation Reserves are notified under Section 36A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, in consultation with local communities. Tamil Nadu has three - Thiruppudaimaruthur (2005), Suchindrum-Theroor-Managudi (2015) and the Dugong Conservation Reserve in Palk Bay (2022).

Project Tiger began in April 1973 - but Tamil Nadu had already declared the Mundanthurai Tiger Sanctuary in 1962, eleven years earlier.

The five Tiger Reserves: Kalakad-Mundanthurai, Anamalai, Mudumalai, Sathyamangalam and Srivilliputhur-Megamalai.

Project Elephant began in 1992. Tamil Nadu has five Elephant Reserves - Nilgiri, Nilambur, Srivilliputhur, Anamalai and Agasthyamalai.

Biosphere Reserves are designated under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere Programme of 1971. Tamil Nadu has three: Nilgiris, Gulf of Mannar and Agasthiyamalai.

Sea turtle nests are protected through 52 hatcheries along the coast, releasing nearly two lakh hatchlings a year.

Conflict response uses kumki elephants, Rapid Response Teams and Mobile Veterinary Units, with AI-based surveillance, radio-collaring and trip-wire early warning.

The department works to the National Forest Policy 1988 and the State Forest Policy 2018.