Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary

Wildlife sanctuary in India

Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary and natural World Heritage Site, which is located in Satara district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Further, this wildlife sanctuary is designated as an Important Bird area. The sanctuary is nested in the Western Ghats, covering an area of around , and elevations ranging from It was notified in 1985 as a wildlife sanctuary situated in Maharashtra. It forms the northern portion of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, with Chandoli National Park forming the southern part of the reserve.

The Vasota Fort lies deep in the forests and is located at an elevation of above sea level. The legend states that the fort was constructed by Malwa king Raja Bhoja in 1170.

The rivers Koyna, Kandati, and Solashi meander through the sanctuary. It also forms the catchment area for the Koyna River, and Shivsagar reservoir formed by the Koyna Dam. To the south of the park lies the Chandoli National Park. The sanctuary includes eastern and western catchments of the Koyna dam. The sanctuary is well protected by the large extent of Shivsagar reservoir and steep slopes of the Western Ghats on both the sides. This protected area is connected by a forested wildlife corridor to Chandoli National Park and Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary in the south. Like Chandoli, Koyna is part of Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. The average altitude is The mean annual rainfall is .

The sanctuary has dense forests with three major sections, Vasota, Maharkhor and Indavli Met, and is endowed with natural protective boundaries, with Shivsagar Lake on one side, and the slopes of the Western Ghats on both sides. These geographic barriers have enabled the emergence of a wide variety of flora and fauna and high biodiversity in the sanctuary. Due to the wide range of elevations in the sanctuary, the ecoregions in the sanctuary include North Western Ghats montane rain forests above and North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests below. Dominant species are anjani, jambul, hirda, awala, pisa, ain, kinjal, amba, kumbha, bhoma, chandala, katak, nana, umbra, jambha, gela and bibba. Karvi is found almost all over the area. Climbers such as shikekai, garambi are common. Some of the threatened species of trees found in the sanctuary are dhup (Indian frankincense), longan, and Elaeocarpus spp. Shrubs and medicinal plants such as karvand, agati, ranmiri, tamalpati, toran, dhayati, kadipatta, narkya and murudsheng, along with a small quantity of bamboo are also found. A large number of ephemeral bulbs of seasonal plants are found.