Endangered Species Fund in Tamil Nadu Gets Fresh Lease of Life

The Tamil Nadu Endangered Species Conservation Fund, launched in 2024 with a ₹50 crore corpus, faced administrative hurdles due to the defunct status of the State Forest Development Agency (SFDA).
To avoid delays, the fund has now been transferred to the Advanced Institute of Wildlife Conservation (AIWC), Vandalur, known for its research and wildlife initiatives.
The fund aims to protect species like the Malabar Civet and Salim Ali’s Fruit Bat through mapping, research grants, and partnerships.
This move revitalizes Tamil Nadu’s commitment to biodiversity conservation.

Background and Objective

• Announced in 2024, the Tamil Nadu Endangered Species Conservation Fund has a corpus of ₹50 crore.
• Initial management was assigned to the State Forest Development Agency (SFDA).
• Fund was to be temporarily held by the Tamil Nadu Power Finance Corporation or Tamil Nadu Transport Development Finance Corporation.
• The objective is to survey, assess, and map endangered species and build conservation partnerships.