Chennai, July 21 -- In a pioneering move to protect one of the most ecologically significant and charismatic birds of the Asian tropics, the Tamil Nadu Government will establish a Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Hornbill Conservation at Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) in the Western .Ghats.

A sum of Rs one crore has been sanctioned under the Endangered Species Conservation Corpus Fund for establishing the Centre.

This landmark initiative places Tamil Nadu at the forefront of hornbill conservation in India and is a major stride towards preserving tropical forest ecosystems in the Western Ghats.

A release from Environment, Climate Change and Forests Department today said the state government has accorded administrative sanction for set...