Seshachalam Hills

Subject : Environment

Section : Protected Area in news

Concept :

Spot Bellied Eagle Owl was recently spotted in Seshachalam forest of Andhra Pradesh for the first time.
It was sighted twice earlier at Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve(NSTR).

About Seshachalam Hills:

The Seshachalam Hills are a part of the Eastern Ghats in Andhra Pradesh.
They are a group of seven hills namely, Seshadri, Neeladri, Garudadri, Anjanadri, Vrishabhadri, Narayanadri and Venkatadri.
The ranges were formed during the Precambrian era (3.8 billion to 540 million years ago)
The Seshachalam hills consist of sandstone and shale along with limestone.
Tirupati which is considered as one of the major Hindu pilgrimage towns in India is located in the hills.
The Srivenkateshwara National Park is also located in this mountain range.
Seshachalam was designated as a Biosphere Reserve in the year 2010
It has large reserves of red sandalwood.
Tribes of Yanadis are the native population of the reserve.

Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve

The Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Sanctuary was declared officially in 1978 and has been recognized by the Project Tiger in 1983.
Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve is the largest tiger reserve in India.
In 1992, it was retitled as Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Tiger reserve is spread over 5 districts in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
The area consists mostly of the Nallamala Hills.
The multipurpose reservoirs- Srisailam and Nagarjunasagar are located in the reserve.
The Krishna River cuts the basin of this reserve.