Context: Recently, establishment of Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary makes it the18th wildlife sanctuary in the State which is spread over an area of 227.97 sq km.
Key Points

• The Karimpuzha sanctuary will comprise the new Amarambalam reserve forest and Vadakkekotta vested forest.
• It borders the Mukkuruthi National Park in the south and the Silent Valley National Park buffer zone in the northeast.
• It houses almost all the mammals endemic to Western Ghats mountains in the state. The wildlife sanctuary is home to 226 bird and 213 butterfly species.

Significance

• It will create a contiguous protective area stretch linking two national parks, the Mukurthi National Park in Tamil Nadu and the Silent Valley National Park.
• It is expected that the new sanctuary would help lift the living conditions of the local people, including tribal people.
• More employment would be created through ecotourism projects.
• Apart from the ecological significance, the forest area is also steeped in rich ethnic cultural heritage by being home to the Cholanayikka tribe.