Location: Kollam , Thiruvananthapuram and Tirunelveli Districts
Coordinates: 8°37′″N, 77°17′″E
Area: 900 km² Established: 2001
Governing body: Ministry of Environment & Forests
The Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve was Established in 2001 and includes 1701 km. The < namespace="" prefix="st1" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" xml="true">Western Ghats,Agasthyamalai Sub-Cluster, including all of Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve, is under consideration by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for selection as a World Heritage Site .Location ABR straddles the border of Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram Districts in Kerala and Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari Districts in Tamil Nadu , South India at the southern end of theWestern Ghats . Central location is 8°37′N, 77°17′E . It is composed of Neyyar and Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuaries and their adjoining areas of Achencoil, Thenmala , Konni, Punalur , Thiruvananthapuram Divisions and Agasthyavanam Special Division in Kerala. Inclusion of ajoining areas of Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu is under consideration. [edit ] Ecology ABR includes the Indian Ecoregions of South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests , South Western Ghats montane rain forests and Shola . It is the habitat for 2,000 varieties of medicinal plants, of which at least 50 are rare and endangered species. Rare animals include the tiger , Asian Elephant , and Nilgiri Tahr . Agastyamalai is also home to the Kanis, one of the oldest surviving ancient tribes in the world Ecotourism is popular in the area.
Management A local committee and a state level Biosphere Management Committee co-ordinate the activities of various departments in the ABR area and ensure the scientific management of the ABR according to guidelines of the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests.
