Tiruvidaimarudur Conservation Reserve is an IUCN Category V protected bird nesting area in the 2.84 hectares (7 acre) compound of the Mahalingha Swamy Siva

Shiva

Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...

 temple http://www.indiantemples.com/Tamilnadu/mahatiru.html in Tiruvidaimarudur

Tiruvidaimarudur

Tiruvidaimarudur is a town in Thanjavur District, Tamil Nadu state, India.About north-east of the Temple City Kumbakonam, this is one of the Taluk H.Q. in the Tanjore District. Tiruvidaimarudur has a rich heritage of fertility and people have habit of harvesting thrice in a year...

 village, Thanjavur District

Thanjavur District

Thanjavur District is one of the 32 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. Its headquarters is Thanjavur.-Geography:...

, Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...

, South India

South India

South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...

, at: 10°59′44"N 79°27′10"E. It was declared Feb 14, 2005 and is the first Conservation Reserve

Conservation reserves and community reserves of India

Conservation reserves and community reserves in India are terms denoting protected areas of India which typically act as buffer zones to or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests of India...

 to be established in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

. The reserve is 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) from Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve

Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve

Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve , situated in the Southern Western Ghats in Tirunelveli district, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, is the second largest protected area in Tamil Nadu State.-History:...

.

Management

The village community and Tamil Nadu Forest Department

Tamil Nadu Forest Department

The Tamil Nadu Forest Department was established as the Madras Forest Department in 1855 by Dr. Hugh Francis Cleghorn, "the father of scientific forestry in India". The department is responsible for managing all the protected areas and forests plus environmental and wildlife related issues of Tamil...

 manage the area. Community participation and public support is crucial for any conservation

Wildlife conservation

Wildlife conservation is the preservation, protection, or restoration of wildlife and their environment, especially in relation to endangered and vulnerable species. All living non-domesticated animals, even if bred, hatched or born in captivity, are considered wild animals. Wildlife represents all...

 effort to succeed. Amendments to the Wild life Protection Act

Wildlife Protection Act of 1972

The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 refers to a sweeping package of legislation enacted in 1972 by the Government of India. Before 1972, India only had five designated national parks...

 in 2003, provided a mechanism to provide recognition and legal backing to community initiated efforts in wildlife protection. It provides for a flexible system wherein wildlife conservation is achieved without compromising community needs. Tiruppadaimarathur Conservation Reserve is the result of the village community coming forward to protect the birds nesting in their village and acting for declaration of a conservation reserve. This reserve was declared by Government of Tamil Nadu G.O.Ms. No.17 Environment and Forests Dept.

Fauna and Flora

Over 400 Little Egret

Little Egret

The Little Egret is a small white heron. It is the Old World counterpart to the very similar New World Snowy Egret.-Subspecies:Depending on authority, two or three subspecies of Little Egret are currently accepted....

s, Pond heron

Indian Pond Heron

The Indian Pond Heron or Paddybird is a small heron. It is of Old World origins, breeding in southern Iran and east to India, Burma, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. They are widespread and common but can be easily missed when they stalk prey at the edge of small water-bodies or even when they roost...

 and near threatened

Near Threatened

Near Threatened is a conservation status assigned to species or lower taxa that may be considered threatened with extinction in the near future, although it does not currently qualify for the threatened status...

 Painted Stork

Painted Stork

The Painted Stork is a large wading bird in the stork family. It is found in the wetlands of the plains of tropical Asia south of the Himalayas in South Asia and extending into Southeast Asia. Their distinctive pink tertial feathers give them their name. They forage in flocks in shallow waters...

 nest in this grove of 20 huge, century old Maruthu

Terminalia arjuna

Terminalia arjuna is a tree of the genus Terminalia.-Description:...

, Mahwa, Neem

Neem

Azadirachta indica is a tree in the mahogany family Meliaceae. It is one of two species in the genus Azadirachta, and is native to India growing in tropical and semi-tropical regions. Its fruits and seeds are the source of neem oil...

 and Illuppai trees and feed in a the many agricultural fields, a few ponds and the Tamiraparani River adjacent to it. Pond heron and egrets also nesting in backyards of few village houses, while Painted storks are only around the temple. Spot-billed pelican

Spot-billed Pelican

The Spot-billed Pelican or Grey Pelican is a member of the pelican family. It breeds in southern Asia from southern Pakistan across India east to Indonesia. It is a bird of large inland and coastal waters, especially large lakes...

s also come for refuge but are not nesting.