Eravikulam National Park was managed as a Game Reserve by
the Kannan Devan Hill Produce Company till 1971.
The responsibility for the management and protection of the
area was vested with the High Range Game Preservation Association, a pioneer
Non Governmental organization in this area, which was formed in 1928.
Due to the unique land features, climate and remoteness,
this high land attracted the attention of many hunters, naturalists, and
scientists.
One of the early European explorers was Col. Douglas
Hamilton who described the beauty and grandeur of this area in 1854. Modern
settlements began with the establishment of North Travancore Plantation and
Agricultural Society in 1879. J.D. Munro, on a hunting expedition in 1877,
recognized the possibilities of raising plantations in these ranges and acquired
about 227 sq. miles (581.12 sq. km) of land on concession from Poonjat Raja,
chief of the local kingdom.
Later, the land was distributed among the members of the
society, and cultivation of various plantation crops like coffee and cinchona
were tried. It was realized later that, tea was the most suitable crop for this
area. The first tea in the High Ranges was planted by Sharp in 1890. Passing
through the stress and strain of raising plantations, the members of the
society merged and a majority of the estates were transferred to James-Finlay,
a European company. Later, extensive cultivation of tea and eucalyptus was
carried out by clearing natural vegetation. Apart from cultivation, the English
game hunters among the old planters had taken interest in hunting activities
and set aside some areas for recreation. The present day Eravikulam National
Park was one such area. The game included Nilgiri Tahr, Sambar Deer, Barking
Deer, Gaur, Wild Boar, Leopard and Tiger. The area also offered excellent
opportunity for angling of ‘Rainbow Trout’ (Salmo gairdnerii) which was
introduced from Scotland. The High Range Game Preservation Association was the
regulatory body which used to manage such activities with the help of Muthuvan
tribals who were employed by them as game watchers. The managers of the nearby
estates were appointed as Wardens for managing the various recreational and
game areas.
The imperatives of land reforms led to the enactment of the
Kannan Devan Hills (Resumption of Lands) Act 1971 by which all lands that were
not under cultivation by the company were vested with the Government of Kerala.
The Government’s intention was to distribute this land for agricultural
purposes. The area under the park was initially earmarked for cattle farming.
But because of the timely intervention by an interested group consisting of
planters, bureaucrats, naturalists and scientists, the Government of Kerala
declared the area as ‘Eravikulam-Rajamalai’ Wildlife Sanctuary in 1975(GO No.
8907/FM/375/AD dated 31-03-1957) for the protection of the Nilgiri Tahr and its
habitat. Subsequently, in 1978 it was upgraded to a National Park as per (GO
(MS)142/78 dated 19-05-1978). The park was managed as a Range under the Munnar
Division and in 1984 it was brought under the Wildlife Warden, Idukki. In the
year 1996, a separate Division named Eravikulam National Park Division was
formed in the year 1996 with headquarters at Munnar. Now, Eravikulam National
Park is one of the six protected areas under the Division, now known as
Wildlife Division, Munnar. Over the years, the management of the company
changed hands and with the increase in awareness, the game association has
redefined its objectives to become High Range Wildlife and Environmental
Preservation Association (HRWEPA). The Association now joins hands with the
Forest Department in managing the park.
The tourism zone of Eravikulam National Park is known for
the close quarter sighting of Nilgiri Tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius) and
massive flowering of Neelakurinji (Strobilanthus kunthianum) an endemic shrub
that flowers once in 12 years. It is the massive flowering of Neelakurinji and
the heavy flow of visitors to the National Park in 2006 helped in the
introduction of the present visitor management system. Before this, the light
vehicles of the visitors were allowed up to the tourism zone, causing
blockades, pollution, littering etc in the tourism zone and adjoining areas.
The introduction of participatory management and the explosion of visitors to
the National Park have brought about paradigm shift in the park management. Now
all the management activities including the visitor management and protection
including fire protection is carried out with the help of seven EDC’s in the
park. This has helped a lot in the management as evident from the reduction in
the illegal activities in and around the Park over the last 5 years.