Periyar Tiger Reserve adjudged as best managed protected area
The U.N. - India Biodiversity Governance Award instituted by the Government of India and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for the best managed protected area has gone to Periyar Tiger Reserve, the favorite eco – tourism destination of Kerala State. The announcement of the award came at the venue of the Conference of Parties to Convention of Biological Diversity being held at Hyderabad. The award carries a citation and a cash prize of Rs. 50,000/-.This tiger reserve spread within an area of 925 sq. km. is visited annually by around seven lakh people. The estimated tiger population of the reserve is around 35. Periyar is also one of the elephant reserves of the country.
The award committee has appreciated the holistic approach adopted towards conservation, protection and management of the park. It has also given credits for the attention given there for research, wild life protection, pilgrim management and participatory forest management practices at the reserve. People's participation in conservation and protection measures and sustainable eco – tourism practice have also been noticed and credited.
Since the conference is attended by delegates from more than a hundred countries the recognition given to Periyar Tiger Reserve has been noticed internationally, which will definitely help attracting more tourists.