In July 2025, the Government of Tamil Nadu (TN) announced the establishment of India’s first Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Hornbill Conservation at the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), in Coimbatore district of TN, to protect hornbills, essential seed dispersers facing threats from deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and climate change.
- The project, funded with Rs 1 crore under the Endangered Species Conservation Corpus Fund, will be implemented by the Department of Environment, Climate Change and Forests, Government of TN.
- In addition to the ATR, the TN government aims to extend hornbill conservation efforts to other critical biodiversity hotspots, including Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR), Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR), and parts of Kanyakumari district.
Key Highlights:
i.Target Species: The centre will focus on the four hornbill species found in the Western Ghats:
- Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis)
- Malabar Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros griseus)
- Malabar Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros coronatus)
- Indian Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros birostris)
ii.Research Activities: The centre will conduct scientific research, implement habitat restoration, and promote community participation in conservation efforts.
iii.Conservation Activities: The project includes habitat mapping, nest monitoring, Global Positioning System (GPS)-based tracking, climate impact studies, forest restoration with native trees, artificial nest installation, and sapling propagation for ecological recovery.
iv.Community Engagement: Local communities will participate through nest adoption initiatives, student scholarships in hornbill research, sustainable livelihood options like seed collection, educational field visits, and data sharing via a Citizen Science Application (App) linked to Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and eBird (wildlife database).
v.Collaborating Organisations:The TN Forest Department will collaborate with national and international organisations, including:
- Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON)
- Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF)
- Wildlife Institute of India (WII)
- International Union for Conservation of Nature’s(IUCN) – Hornbill Specialist Group
vi.Reward: As part of the initiative, private individuals who actively safeguard hornbill nesting and foraging areas on their land will be rewarded with departmental incentives.
vii.Environmental Impact: Hornbills, often referred to as “farmers of the forest”, play a vital ecological role as seed dispersers, contributing to the regeneration of native forests.
Note: Similar hornbill conservation initiatives will also be undertaken in the Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve (KMTR), Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR), and Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu.
About Tamil Nadu (TN):
Chief Minister (CM) – M.K. Stalin
Governor – Ravindra Narayana (R.N.) Ravi
Capital – Chennai
National Park (NP) – Guindy NP, Gulf of Mannar NP
