Konni Forest Division

The Konni Forest Division is located in Kerala, India, and covers an area of about 331.66 km2. It is the first reserve forest in Kerala, which was declared on 09-10-1888 under the Travancore Forest Act of 1887. The division is part of the Western Ghats, which were designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 01-07-2012. The forest area is a repository of many endemic species of the Western Ghats.

Overview
It falls under Karunagappally, Kunnathur and Pathanapuram taluks of Kollam district and Adoor, Kozhencherry taluks of Pathanamthitta district. Consisting of the Konni, Naduvathummoozhy and Mannarappara ranges, the division belongs to the southern circle of the Kerala Forest Department.

The division covers a total area of 331.655 km2, of which 320.553 km2 are reserved forest, 11.021 km2 are reserved land, and 0.081582 km2 are government lands. With 8,294 ha of teak plantations, it has the largest teak plantation area in Kerala.

Landscape
The main hills in the division are Chelikkalkar (997 m), Iruvallimala (817 m), Thunathumala (721 m) and Kodamala (598 m). Achankovil, Pamba Kallar and Achenkovil Kallar are the primary rivers that originate in the reserve forest.

Climate
The temperature can vary from 21 C in the rainy and winter seasons to 35 C in the summer. The months of March and April are the hottest. Rainfall occurs from June to September or November.

Boundaries

 * North: Vadasserikkara and Ranni ranges of Ranni division
 * South: Pathanapuram range of Punalur division
 * East: Kallar and Achenkovil ranges of Achenkovil division
 * West: Arabian sea

Ranges and stations
In 1894, the forest was divided into ranges. The division consists of Konni, Mannarapara and Naduvathummoozhy ranges and eight stations. The Naduvathummoozhy range is the largest, with 138.93 km2, and the Konni range is the smallest, covering 62.73 km2. Konni serves as the division's main headquarters.

Types of forests
Konni forest division has tropical evergreen and semi-evergreen forests. The major forest types of Konni division are:
 * West Coast Tropical Evergreen Forests
 * West Coast Tropical Semi-Evergreen Forests
 * Southern Moist Mixed Deciduous Forests
 * Wet Reed Brakes
 * Southern Montane Wet Grasslands

Mammals
About 29 species of mammals are found in the Konni division. These include tiger, leopard, leopard cat, elephant, gaur, wild boar, jungle cat, wild dog, jackal, common mongoose, stripe-necked mongoose, toddy cat, small Indian civet, barking deer, sambar deer, mouse deer, Indian pangolin, sloth bear, Nilgiri langur, gray langur, Travancore flying squirrel, Indian giant squirrel, Indian porcupine, Indian hare, Indian mole rat, bandicoot rat, bonnet macaque, slender loris and fulvous fruit bat.

Birds
Konni division is one of the IBAs (Important Bird Area) of India. About 133 species of birds were recorded from the division. Endemic birds of the western ghats such as Malabar grey hornbill, Nilgiri wood pigeon, white-bellied treepie and white-cheeked barbet are seen here. Although rare, great hornbills are also seen. Pariah kite, Brahminy kite, jungle myna, hill myna, crow pheasant, white-headed babbler, blue-winged parakeet, Indian lorikeet, spotted dove, emerald dove and mountain imperial pigeon are other species found here.

Reptiles
The important reptile species found here are monitor lizard, garden lizard, flying lizard, skink, cobra, king cobra, python, viper, krait, rat snake, tree snake and turtle.