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?

Answer: (a) Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve

Sathyamangalam (Erode, TN) connects the Western Ghats (Nilgiris) with the Eastern Ghats — a corridor for tigers and elephants.

The idea

The Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats run down the two sides of the peninsula and come closest to each other at the Nilgiris. The forested hills of Sathyamangalam sit exactly in that gap, so animals can walk from one range to the other. Such a connecting strip is a wildlife corridor.

Western Ghats (Nilgiris, Mudumalai, Bandipur) → Moyar valley and Sathyamangalam hills → Biligirirangan hills → Eastern Ghats

Why the others are wrong

(b) Nallamala is entirely in the Eastern Ghats.

(c) Nagarhole is in the Western Ghats.

(d) Seshachalam is in the Eastern Ghats.

The trap

Nallamala and Seshachalam are big Eastern Ghats forests — but they are not at the junction.

Also know

A corridor matters for genes: animals from separate populations meet and breed, which keeps small populations healthy. Sathyamangalam is the largest wildlife sanctuary of Tamil Nadu and became a tiger reserve in 2013. The Moyar valley is one of the last homes of vultures in South India.