Tamil Nadu’s Valparai tops Western Ghats villages for richness of threatened fauna

A GIS-based study by biologists from the Zoological Survey of India found Valparai in Tamil Nadu to have the highest richness of threatened species among 7,630 villages in the Western Ghats, with 98 species. The study identified 512 threatened fauna species, with Kerala having the highest number at 354, and highlighted the need for innovative conservation strategies for species outside protected areas. Endemic species in the Western Ghats, distribution maps, and the involvement of stakeholders like village-level biodiversity management committees were emphasized for better conservation efforts.

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