The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has chosen Attakatti in the Valparai plateau to establish India's first Centre of Excellence for Hornbill Conservation.

The centre will be established on the Forest Department campus at Attakatti, off the Pollachi - Valparai Road, which houses the Advanced Wildlife Management Training Centre and orchidarium.

Located within the Pollachi Division of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR), the centre will also be close to popular tourist spot Hornbill View Point.

D. Venkatesh, Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director of ATR, said Attakatti was chosen for the centre as it is an ideal location for various activities proposed under the hornbill conservation initiative. The department has appointed a project associate for the centre.

The hornbills of Valparai

The department announced the establishment of the centre in July this year, with an outlay of ₹1 crore under the Endangered Species Conservation Corpus Fund.

The activities of the centre will be focused on four hornbill species found in the Western Ghats, namely the Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis), Malabar Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros griseus), Malabar Pied Hornbill (Anthracoceros coronatus) and Indian Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros birostris). Besides ATR, the centre will also cover conservation activities in other landscapes with hornbill population, including Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Srivilliputhur Megamalai Tiger Reserve and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve.

Research and monitoring, habitat management, community and stakeholder engagement and awareness and outreach are the key broader activities of the centre. It will also collaborate with the Hornbill Specialist Group of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Nature Conservation Foundation, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Advanced Institute for Wildlife Conservation, Wildlife Institute of India, local non-governmental organisations and nature clubs.

Tamil Nadu working on a blueprint to protect hornbills

Since hornbills also use non-protected areas for nesting and foraging, as in the case of private estates in Valparai plateau, the centre's activities will also cover such places. Incentive to private land owners for protecting trees used by hornbills for nesting and recognising their partnership as 'tree guardians' is one of the components of the centre's activities.

"Hornbills need large trees with large cavities for nesting. Such trees in private estates will be identified and geotagged by the centre," said Mr. Venkatesh.

Hornbills are known for their nest-site fidelity as they use the same cavities for nesting repeatedly.

Attakatti chosen for Tamil Nadu's hornbill conservation centre