UPSC Prelims 2017 · Question 79 of 99
UPSC Prelims 2017 question on Sathyamangalam Ecological Corridor
- ExamUPSC CSE
- Year2017
- PaperGeneral Studies Paper I
- SubjectGeography
- TopicIndian Geography
- DifficultyHard
- TypeDirect
From the ecological point of view, which one of the following assumes importance in being a good link between the Eastern Ghats and the Western Ghats?
Show answer
Answer: A. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
Verdict
The answer is Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve. It links the Western Ghats to the rest of the Eastern Ghats.
Analysis
The Sathyamangalam forest range, in Erode district of Tamil Nadu, is a significant wildlife corridor within the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, lying between the Western Ghats and the rest of the Eastern Ghats and allowing movement of elephants and tigers between the two systems. Nallamala Forest and Seshachalam Biosphere Reserve lie well within the Eastern Ghats of Andhra Pradesh, and Nagarhole National Park lies within the Western Ghats in Karnataka, so none of the three occupies the junction.
Source
The Hindu reporting on the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve.
How to crack it
A corridor question is a geography question, so ask which site sits at the meeting point of two ranges rather than which is the most famous. Three of the four options lie squarely inside one range or the other and can be discarded on position alone. Keep the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in mind as the hinge of the southern peninsula, since it is where the Western and Eastern Ghats converge and it recurs in both ecology and geography questions.