Identification of Potential Elephant Corridor between Anamalai Landscape and Periyar Tiger Reserve, Southern Western Ghats: A Geospatial Approach

Abstract

Southern Western Ghats an extremely fragile, with resource rich ecosystem-is one among the 34 global biodiversity hotspots with several endemic and endangered species. Urbanisation and conversion of forest land to agriculture with increasing tourism have limited the wildlife habitats between Anamalai landscape and Periyar Tiger Reserves resulting in numerous isolated forest patches (stepping stone corridor patches). These patches provide temporary shelter for wildlife especially for elephants resulting in high conflicts with people. Current study attempts to identify potential elephant corridor between these two landscapes with knowledge of elephant habitat preference and impedances to the elephant movement using GIS techniques. A habitat preference raster is generated by using information on different foraging habitats outside the Protected Areas as well as distance from waterholes and is integrated with Impedance Raster, function of disturbances for generating Cost Surface Raster. Least cost path along this cost raster was generated with Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary as source and Periyar Tiger Reserve as destination. The accuracy of the modeled corridor has been assessed using the information of present and past elephant movement and dung density. Management of this corridor can reduce the frequency of human-elephant conflicts especially at Anayirangal, one of the stepping stone for elephant movement.