• UGI USER
  • Jan 05, 2023
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Silent Valley National Park

Context: Recently a bird survey was conducted at the Silent Valley National Park in Kerala which identified 141 species, of which 17 were new.

More on the News

  • Atleast 17 new birds species were found in the survey. Prominent among them are Brown wood owl, Banded bay cuckoo, Malabar wood shrike, White-throated kingfisher, Indian nightjar, Jungle nightjar, and Large cuckoo shrike.

About Silent Valley National Park

  • Silent Valley National Park represent  the last remaining rain forest of Kerala. It was declared as National Park in 1984.
  • The forests of the Silent Valley National Park harbour some of the most pristine, unique and highly productive forests in the world.
  • The Park has exceptional species diversity and endemic value of Evergreen and Semi Evergreen communities.
  • It constitute 41 mammals, 211 birds, 49 reptiles, 47 amphibians, 12 fishes, 164 butterflies and 400 species of moths.
  • The National Park also harbors a viable population of Lion tailed macaques which also is the flagship species of the Park.
  • Irulas, Kurumbas, Mudugas and Kattunaikkars are the indigenous tribal groups that live within park boundaries.
  • Birds species such as Crimson-backed sunbird, Yellow-browed bulbul, Black bulbul, Indian white-eye and Indian swiftlet were found in large number  in Silent Valley.

Major Rivers which through the National Park

  • A perennial river named Kunthipuzha passes through the western side of the park, from north to south direction finally merging in to Bharathapuzha.
  • The Bhavani River is a tributary of the Cauvery, It  originates in Nilgiris, draining the south slope of the Nilgiri Hills.

National Parks in India

  • National Park is an area strictly reserved and protected by the government to preserve the endangered species of plants and animals generally termed as the flora and fauna.
  • Both central and State government can declare an area as national park.
  • No alteration in the boundaries of a national park can be made except on a resolution passed by the State Legislature.
  • No Human activity is allowed in the national park and it cannot be downgrade to wildlife sanctuary.
  • There are 106 national parks in India covering an area of 44,372.42 km2, which constitute 1.35% of the geographical area of the country.
  • Hemis National Park in Ladakh is the biggest National Park in India, with Madhya Pradesh being the state having largest number of national park.