List of protected areas of Tamil Nadu

Protected areas of Tamil Nadu cover an area of, constituting 2.54% of the geographic area and 15% of the recorded forest area of the state of Tamil Nadu in South India. It ranks 14th among all the states and union territories of India in terms of total protected area.
Protected areas in South India were created from private hunting grounds of the erstwhile Maharajas of the princely states. Mudumalai National Park was established in 1940 and was the first modern wildlife sanctuary in South India. The protected areas are administered by the Ministry of Environment and Forests of Government of India and the Tamil Nadu Forest Department.

Biosphere reserves

There are three Biosphere Reserves in Tamil Nadu.

Name	District	Area	Established
Gulf of Mannar	Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi		1989
Nilgiris	Nilgiris		1986
Agasthyamalai	Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli		2001

National parks

Tamil Nadu has five National Parks covering.

Name	District	Area	Established
Anamalai	Coimbatore, Tiruppur		1989
Mudumalai	Nilgiris		1990
Mukurthi	Nilgiris		1982
Gulf of Mannar	Ramanathapuram		1980
Guindy	Chennai		1976

Wildlife sanctuaries

Tamil Nadu has 18 wildlife sanctuaries.

Name	District	Area	Established
Anamalai	Coimbatore, Tiruppur		1976
Cauvery North	Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri		2015
Cauvery South	Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri		2022
Gangaikondan	Tirunelveli		2013
Grizzled Squirrel	Virudhunagar		1988
Kadavur	Dindigul, Karur		2022
Kalakkad	Tirunelveli		1962
Kanyakumari	Kanyakumari		2008
Megamalai	Madurai, Theni		2009
Mudumalai	Nilgiris		1940
Kodaikanal	Dindigul, Theni		2008
Mundanthurai	Tirunelveli		1962
Point Calimere	Nagapattinam, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur		1967
Sathyamangalam	Erode		2008
Periyar	Erode		2023
Tirunelveli	Tirunelveli		2015
Vallanadu	Thoothukudi		1987

Elephant reserves

There are five declared elephant sanctuaries in Tamil Nadu as per Project Elephant.

Name	District	Area	Established
Agasthyamalai	Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli		2022
Anamalai	Coimbatore, Tiruppur		2003
Coimbatore	Coimbatore, Tiruppur, Erode		2003
Nilgiris	Nilgiris		2003
Srivilliputtur	Madurai, virudhunagar Theni		2003

Tiger reserves

Tamil Nadu participates in Project Tiger and has five declared tiger reserves.

Name	District	Area	Established
Anamalai Tiger Reserve	Coimbatore, Tiruppur		2008
Kalakkad-Mundanthurai	Tirunelveli		1988
Mudumalai	Nilgiris		2007
Sathyamangalam	Erode		2011
Megamalai	Madurai, Theni		2021

Bird sanctuaries

There are seventeen declared bird sanctuaries in Tamil Nadu.

Name	District	Area	Established
Chitrangudi	Ramanathapuram		1989
Kallaperambur	Thanjavur		2015
Kanjirankulam	Ramanathapuram		1989
Karaivetti	Ariyalur		1989
Karikili	Chengalpattu		1988
Kazhuveli	Villupuram		2021
Koothankulam	Tirunelveli		1994
Melaselvanur–Kilaselvanur	Ramanathapuram		1998
Nanjarayan Tank	Tiruppur		2022
Point Calimere	Nagapattinam		1987
Pulicat	Thiruvallur		1976
Suchindram Theroor	Kanyakumari		2002
Udayamarthandapuram	Thiruvarur		1999
Vaduvoor	Thiruvarur		1999
Vedanthangal	Chengalpattu		1936
Vellode	Erode		1996
Vettangudi	Sivagangai		1977
Viralimalai	Tiruchirappalli

Zoos, reserves and animal farms

There is one conservation reserve at Tiruvidaimarudur in Thanjavur district. There are two zoos recognised by the Central Zoo Authority of India namely Arignar Anna Zoological Park and Madras Crocodile Bank Trust, both located in Chennai. The state has other smaller zoos run by local administrative bodies such as Coimbatore Zoo in Coimbatore, Amirthi Zoological Park in Vellore, Kurumpampatti Wildlife Park in Salem, Yercaud Deer Park in Yercaud, Mukkombu Deer Park in Tiruchirapalli and Ooty Deer Park in Nilgiris.
There are five crocodile farms located at Amaravati in Coimbatore district, Hogenakkal in Dharmapuri district, Kurumbapatti in Salem district, Madras Crocodile Bank Trust in Chennai and Sathanur in Tiruvannamalai district.