Andhra Pradesh Forest Department

Andhra Pradesh Forest Department

Forests For Survival
Agency overview
Jurisdiction	Government of Andhra Pradesh
Headquarters	Mangalagiri, Andhra Pradesh
Minister responsible	Sri Konidala Pawan Kalyan, Ministry of Environment, Forest Science and Technology
Agency executive	Sri Chiranjiv Choudhary, IFS, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (HoFF)
Website	http://forests.ap.gov.in

Andhra Pradesh Forest Department is one of the administrative divisions of Government of Andhra Pradesh. It is headed by the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Head of Forest Force (HOFF), an Indian Forest Service officer. The primary function of this department is protection, conservation and management of forests in the Andhra Pradesh State. The Forest Department is organised into 12 territorial circles and 43 divisions. One Senior Officer of the rank of Deputy Conservator of Forests functions as Planning and Extension Officer in each district.

Flora and fauna

Andhra Pradesh State is bestowed with two river systems of Krishna and Godavari. Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board is a statutory body that maintains and keeps balance of biodiversity in ecosystems, landscapes, heritage sites. The forests in the state can broadly be divided into four major biotic provinces.

1. Deccan Plateau - 53%
2. Central Plateau - 35%
3. Eastern Highland - 11%
4. East Coastal Plains - 1%

The vegetation found in the state is largely of dry deciduous type with a mixture of Teak, and species of the genera Terminalia, Dalbergia, Pterocarpus, Anogeissus etc. Fauna includes Tiger, Panther, Wolf, Wild Dog, Hyena, Sloth Bear, Gaur, Black Buck, Chinkara, Chowsingha, Nilgai, Cheetal, Sambar and a number of Birds and Reptiles.

The state is a possessor of some rare and endemic plants like Cycas beddomei, Pterocarpus santalinus, Terminalia pallida, Syzygium alternifolium, Shorea talura, Shorea tumburgia, Psilotum nudum etc. Among its rich fauna, the Double Banded or the Jerdon’s courser, the golden gecko, and the gray slender loris are some of the rare and endemic fauna of the state.

Protected areas

Kambalakonda

Coringa

Papikonda

Koundinya

Krishna

Rollapadu

Lanka Malleswara

Nagarjuna sagar - Srisailam

Gundla Brahmeswaram

Penusila

Sri Venkateswara

Pulicat

Nelapattu

Telineelapuram

Kolleru

Uppalapadu

Kondakarla Ava

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Map of wildlife sanctuaries in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Green is National Park, Red denotes Wildlife Sanctuaries, Blue denotes Bird Sanctuaries.

Wild Life Sanctuaries	Area (In km2.)
Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary	235.70
Kolleru Bird Sanctuary	308.55
Kondakarla Ava Bird Sanctuary	1.3
Krishna Wildlife Sanctuary	194.81
Nagarjunasagar Srisailam (Project Tiger)	3568.00
Rolla Padu	6.14
Gundla Brahmeswara Wildlife Sanctuary	1194.00
Sri Lankamalleswara Wildlife Sanctuary	464.42
Nelapattu	4.58
Pulicat Lake Bird Sanctuary	500.00
Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary (Project Elephant)	357.60
Sri Penusila Narasimha Wildlife Sanctuary	1030.85
Kambalakonda Wildlife Sanctuary	70.70

National Parks	Area (In km2.)
Papikonda National Park	1012.86
Sri Venkateswara National Park	525.97
Rajiv Gandhi National Park (Rameswaram)	2.5

Zoo park	Location	Area (in Acres)
Sri Venkateswara Zoological Park	Tirupati	5,532 acres (22 km2)
Indira Gandhi Zoological Park	Visakhapatnam	625 acres (2.5 km2)

External links

• Andhra Pradesh Forest Department