Tamil Nadu government has sanctioned the establishment of India’s first Centre of Excellence for Hornbill Conservation. It will be located at the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) in Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu. This move places Tamil Nadu at the forefront of hornbill and tropical forest conservation in the country.
Objective and Focus of Centre
Scientific conservation of hornbills through:
- Long-term ecological monitoring.
- Breeding and behaviour studies.
- Telemetry and habitat mapping.
Restoration of degraded forests by planting native hornbill food trees:
- Ficus, Myristica, Canarium.
Community participation via:
- Nest adoption programmes.
- Scholarships for local students.
- Sustainable livelihood opportunities like seed collection.
Awareness and education:
- Field visits for school children.
- Capacity-building programmes for forest staff.
Collaborating Institutions
Tamil Nadu Forest Department will collaborate with:
- Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON)
- Nature Conservation Foundation
- Wildlife Institute of India (WII)
- IUCN Hornbill Specialist Group
Why ATR Was Selected?
ATR was chosen for:
- Its ecological richness in the Western Ghats.
- Existing conservation infrastructure.
- Presence of all four hornbill species found in the region:
- Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis)
- Malabar Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros griseus)
- Malabar Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros coronatus)
- Indian Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros birostris)
- ATR will now serve as a hub for hornbill research and conservation leadership.
Activities include:
- Geotagging of hornbill food trees.
- Phenological studies.
- Community-based conservation.
Additional Conservation Landscapes in Tamil Nadu
- Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR)
- Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR)
- Parts of Kanyakumari district
About Hornbills – Ecological Importance
- Known as “Farmers of the Forest” due to their role as seed dispersers, aiding forest regeneration.
- Keystone species in tropical ecosystems.
- Known for:
- Unique breeding biology and parental care.
- Dependence on large, mature trees for nesting.
- Low population density and slow breeding.
- Highly susceptible to habitat loss, deforestation, and climate change impacts.
Funding and Policy Push
- ₹1 crore sanctioned under Endangered Species Conservation Corpus Fund by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Forests, Tamil Nadu.
Recent Conservation Initiatives by Tamil Nadu
- India’s first Dugong Conservation Reserve
- Nilgiri Tahr Conservation Project
- Slender Loris Conservation Centre
- AI-powered elephant surveillance project in Madukkarai
Key Facts
| Topic | Fact |
| Hornbill Family | Bucerotidae |
| Great Hornbill State Bird | Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh |
| IUCN Status | Great Hornbill – Vulnerable |
| Western Ghats | UNESCO World Heritage Site; biodiversity hotspot |
| Anamalai Tiger Reserve | Located in Coimbatore district, part of Western Ghats |
| Salim Ali Centre | Located in Coimbatore; premier bird research institute |
| KMTR | Second largest protected area in Tamil Nadu |
| STR | Eastern Ghats region; important dry forest habitat |