Project Elephant Range 9 (5700 km2), geographically known as
the Anamalai (meaning ‘elephant hill’), Nelliyampathy and Palani
hill ranges (henceforth “Anamalai Landscape”) is located to the
south of the Palghat Gap in the southern Western Ghats. This area,
believed to harbor about 2000 elephants,
has been identified as one of the potential landscapes
for the long-term conservation of the species.
This population is genetically more diverse and distinct from
the much larger elephant population further north in the Ghats.This region is also known for its rich biodiversity.
On the other hand, the landscape has witnessed a variety
of developmental activities such as commercial tea (Camellia
sinensis), coffee (Coffea arabica) and cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum)
plantations, several hydroelectric and irrigation projects
with cut-open canals, and other forms of infrastructural development
that impede the movement of elephants.
As elephants are known
to generally show high fidelity to their home ranges and the
corridors that they have traditionally used on a seasonal basis,
such land transformations may be the
cause of increased elephant–human conflicts in some parts of
their range as in the Valparai plateau