India’s First Centre of Excellence for Hornbill Conservation to Come Up in Tamil Nadu’s Anamalai Tiger Reserve

Chennai: Taking a decisive leap in species-specific conservation, the Tamil Nadu government has announced the creation of the country’s first Centre of Excellence for Hornbill Conservation at the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) in Coimbatore district. The initiative is dedicated to protecting hornbills—crucial to forest regeneration and biodiversity—and marks a significant step in preserving the ecological balance of the Western Ghats.

Faced with growing threats from habitat loss, deforestation, and climate change, hornbill populations across the Western Ghats have witnessed steady decline. To address this, the Department of Environment, Climate Change, and Forests has earmarked ₹1 crore from the Endangered Species Conservation Corpus Fund to support the project.

The Centre will focus on the conservation of four hornbill species native to the region: the Great Hornbill, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Malabar Grey Hornbill, and Indian Grey Hornbill. Plans include detailed habitat mapping, monitoring of nesting sites, climate impact assessments, and restoration of degraded patches through the planting of native trees like fig and canarium—key food sources for hornbills.

The choice of Anamalai is strategic. As noted in the official order by Additional Chief Secretary Supriya Sahu, ATR has a proven track record in species conservation and is home to rich biodiversity, including tigers, elephants, and lion-tailed macaques. The upcoming hornbill centre is expected to build upon this success and serve as a model for targeted conservation of keystone species.

Community involvement forms a core part of the initiative. Local residents will participate in nest adoption programmes, seed collection, and student scholarship schemes. In addition, awareness drives, educational visits, and training for frontline forest staff will strengthen the conservation ecosystem on the ground.

To ensure scientific rigour and global collaboration, the Centre of Excellence will work alongside prominent institutions such as the Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Nature Conservation Foundation, Wildlife Institute of India, and the IUCN Hornbill Specialist Group.

The government also plans to replicate similar conservation activities—like habitat surveys, geotagging of trees, and phenological studies—in other biodiversity hotspots, including the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, and parts of Kanyakumari district.