Q1.
List three protected areas in the Western Ghats.
Answer
Silent Valley National Park, Periyar Tiger Reserve and Bandipur National Park. The Western Ghats have more than fifty protected areas in all.
| Protected area | State | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Valley National Park | Kerala | A rainforest saved from a dam by the Save Silent Valley Movement; lion-tailed macaques |
| Periyar Tiger Reserve | Kerala | Tigers and elephants around a large lake |
| Bandipur National Park | Karnataka | Tigers and one of India's largest elephant populations |
| Nagarhole National Park | Karnataka | Tiger reserve, next to Bandipur |
| Eravikulam National Park | Kerala | The Nilgiri tahr; the neelakurinji flower that blooms once in twelve years |
| Mudumalai Tiger Reserve | Tamil Nadu | Elephants, on the Nilgiri slopes |
| Anamalai Tiger Reserve | Tamil Nadu | High hills and tea and cardamom country |
| Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary | Maharashtra | Home of the Indian giant squirrel |
| Kudremukh National Park | Karnataka | Grassy hilltops and shola forest |
| Bhagwan Mahavir Wildlife Sanctuary | Goa | Dudhsagar falls |
Any three, for example — Silent Valley National Park, Periyar Tiger Reserve, Bandipur National Park
What "protected area" means: a forest, river or hill that the government keeps safe for animals, plants and nature. Nobody may cut trees or harm animals there. The Western Ghats have over fifty of them — wildlife sanctuaries, national parks and tiger reserves. They protect rare animals such as the lion-tailed macaque, the tiger, the elephant and the hornbill, and they keep the forests and the rivers healthy. Remember, most of south India's rivers begin in these hills — so protecting the forest is also protecting everybody's drinking water.
The Silent Valley story, in short: A dam was planned on a river in this rainforest. It would have drowned the valley. Villagers, students, teachers, poets and scientists joined together in the Save Silent Valley Movement — and the dam was stopped. In 1984 the valley was made a national park. It is still standing. The valley got its name because, unlike other rainforests, it did not ring with the sound of cicada insects.