KBA Profile: Upper Vaigai River

National Site Name Upper Vaigai River

English Name

KBA delineation Catchment

Focal area delineation yes - the very upper reaches of the rivers in the Meghamalai

The Vaigia catchment originates in the Varusanad Hills and Highwavy Mountains, in the Vaigai, Vaippar and Suruliar rivers which initially flow north, and then south east to empty into the Indian Ocean. The very upper reaches of the catchment are covered in tropical moist and dry Site description decidous, evergreen and shola forest, and is partly designated as the Meghamalai Reserve Forest (proposed Wildlife Sanctuary). There are 5 dams within the KBA, and a transbounday water transfer from the river. There are also large areas of plantations of tea, teak, cardamom and coffee plantations and a number of large urban areas.

Management required at Yes catchment scale

Management required at focal Yes area within catchment

KBA Trigger Species

Group Species Criterion1 Criterion2 Criterion3 Notes

Fishes Puntius ophicephalus EN 11935.68039 NA

Odonata Chlorogomphus xanthoptera VU 10554.94853 NA

Odonata Idionyx periyashola NA 11398.516 NA

Plants Anaphalis beddomei VU NA NA

Plants Anaphalis leptophylla VU NA NA

Plants Fimbristylis crystallina EN NA NA

Plants Fuirena swamyi VU 12377.07699 NA Plants Hydrocotyle conferta EN NA NA

Plants Notonia shevaroyensis VU NA NA

Fishes Travancoria jonesi EN NA NA

Protected Areas Overlap with KBA

Name Designation Desig. Type Status PA Management Focus

Periyar Sanctuary National Designated No freshwater biodiversity management

Megamalai Sanctuary National Proposed No freshwater biodiversity management

Western Ghats World Heritage Site International Inscribed No freshwater biodiversity management

Srivilliputhur Sanctuary National Designated No freshwater biodiversity management

Potential KBA Stakeholders*

Tamil Nadu State Forest Department

Salim Ali Center for Ornithology and Natural History

Periyakulam Horticulture College, Agricultural University

Woodbriar Group

Wildlife Information Liaison and Development Society

Wildlife Association of Rajapalayam

Zoological Survey of , Southern Regional Station

KBA Freshwater Habitats

5.1 Permanent Rivers/Streams/Creeks(includes waterfalls) 5.2 Seasonal/Intermittent/Irregular Rivers/Streams/Creeks

15.1 Water Storage Areas(over 8ha)

Threats to KBA

Threats (IUCN Classification Scheme) Notes

1.1 Housing & urban areas

1.2 Commercial & industrial areas coffee, cardamom and pepper (some tea)

2.1 Annual & perennial non-timber crops Eucalyptus

2.2 Wood & pulp plantations Granite and sand

3.2 Mining & quarrying

7.2 Dams & water management/use Tilapia

7.3 Other ecosystem modifications Pesticides

8.1 Invasive non-native/alien species/diseases

9.1 Domestic & urban waste water

9.2 Industrial & military effluents

9.3 Agricultural & forestry effluents

9.4 Garbage & solid waste

Conservation actions for KBA

Conservation actions (IUCN In Needed Notes Classification Scheme) place

The focal area needs protection but it is mostly covered by the 1.1 Site/area protection Yes Yes Meghalamai, which is a propsed Wildlife Sanctuary 1.2 Resource & habitat protection Yes At the focal area

Catchment management, especially of the upper areas of the wider 2.1 Site/area management Yes KBA

2.2 Invasive/problematic species Yes control

4.1 Formal education Yes Forestry Department, Plantations

4.2 Training Yes Forestry Department, Plantations

4.3 Awareness & communications Yes All stakeholders

5.2 Policies and regulations Yes Minining, plantations

5.3 Private sector standards & Yes Minining, plantations codes

Implementation of Wetland (Conservation and Management) Act 2010 5.4 Compliance and enforcement Yes & Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act 1974.

Food Security

Used for food security Score Notes

1. Subsistence

Optional/alternative 0

Essential staple 0

Emergency 0

2. Commercial

Local 0

Regional 0

National 0

3.Migrant fishers 0 Notes

Other

One species of frog which was though to be extinct until recently rediscovered is endemic to the KBA Other biodiversity (Raorchestes travencorius). Trimeresurus huttoni (a pit viper) is also endemic to this KBA.

Protected areas overview

1. Arunachalam, M., Johnson, J.A., Vijayakumar, C., Sivakumar, P. Manimekalan, A., Soranam, R. and Sankaranarayanan, A. 2004. New record of a rare and endemic species of Puntius ophicephalus from Tamil Nadu part of . Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 101: 166–168. 2. Bhupathy, S., Srinivas, G., Sathishkumar N., Murugesan, M., Babu, S., Suganthasakthivel, R. and Sivakumar, P. 2012. Diversity and conservation of selected biota of the Meghamalai landscape, Western Ghats. India. Current Science 102(4): 590–595. 3. Bhupathy, S. and Babu, S. 2013. Meghamalai landscape : a biodiversity hotspot. Journal of Threatened Taxa 5(15): 4939–4944; http://dx.doi.org/10.11609/JoTT.o3592.4939-44. References 4. Biju, S.D. 2001. A synopsis to the frog fauna of the Western Ghats, India. Occasional Publication 1. ISCB: 1-24. 5. Biju, S.D. 2004. Raorchestes travancoricus. In: IUCN 2013. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. . Downloaded on 08 March 2014. 6. Biju, S.D. and Bossuyt, F. 2009. Systematics and phylogeny of Philautus Gistel, 1848 (Anura, Rhacophoridae) in the Western Ghats of India, with descriptions of 12 new species. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 155: 374–444. 7. David, P. and Vogel, G. 1998. Redescription of Trimeresurus huttoni, Smith, 1949 (Serpents, Crotalinae), with a discussion of its relationships. Hamadryad 22(2): 73–87.

Dahanukar, N., Jayachandran, K.V., Irudayaraj, V., Iyer, P., Katwate, U., Krutha, S.K., Molur, S., Pati, S.K., Acknowledgments Pragatheesh, A. Raghavan, R., Rehel, S.M., Sivaramakrishnan, K.G. and Subbramanian, K.A.

* Potential KBA stakeholders have not been contacted in any official capacity nor have they endorsed the KBA – they are a list of potential stakeholders to inform any organisation or individual who may want to undertake conservation activities on freshwater biodiversity in this KBA