Article 1

Eco-restoration for people, nature, and climate of a spiritual campus- Satyaloka, Andhra PradeshCite

T V Ramachandra, Bharath Setturu, Vinay
ENVIS[RP], Environmental Information System, Energy and Wetlands Research Group,
Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science - 560012
envis.ces@iisc.ac.in tvr@iisc.ac.in Phone: 080 22933099/22933503

Synopsis	Introduction	Study Area	Satyaloka Campus	Eco-Restoration

2.0 Materials and Method

Study Area

Satyaloka campus, Ramakuppam Mandal, Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh: Satyaloka campus is located in Ramakuppam Mandal, Chittoor District of Andhra Pradesh and is part of the Eastern Ghats of India. The Chittoor District is situated between 12^o37' to 14^o8' N and 78^o 33' to 79^o55' E with a geographical area of 15,563 sq. km (Figure 1). The average mean daily minimum and maximum temperatures are 27.9 ^oC and 40.3 ^oC during May and 18.7 ^oC and 29.9 ^oC during January. The district lies in Southern Plateau and Hills Region, North Eastern Agro-climatic Zone, and Deccan Plateau, a hot arid ecoregion. The soil of the district is drained by Swarnamukhi, Kalangi, Araniar, Kushastali, Palar, Papagni, Cheyyeru, Upputeru (Pennar) rivers. The district has rich minerals such as Low-grade steatite, Soapstone, Granite (black, pink, and grey). The forest cover has accounted as 29% of the geographical area, with rich flora and fauna species. Venkateshwara National Park and Koundinya Wildlife Sanctuary are sheltering rich faunal species. The district has a population of 4,178,061 (2011), with a literacy of 72.36%. The district is divided into three revenue divisions, i.e., Chittoor, Madanapalle, and Tirupati, with 20 blocks or 66 Mandals covering 1540 Revenue villages in 1394 Gram panchayats. The district is known for its tourism activities and has world-famous Tirupati/Tirumala, Kalahasth, and Kanipakam temples.

Figure1. Chittore district, Andhra Pradesh state

Mandals in the Chittoor district are listed in Table 1. Figure 2 illustrates the land use pattern in the district, and land use statistics are presented in Table 2. The share of land uses is presented in Figure 3, which highlights that a major part of the district is under agriculture (croplands and horticulture) and allied activities. Chittoor district is known for horticulture crops and has major markets of tomatoes, mangoes, grains, sugarcane, and peanuts.

Table 1. Mandals in Chitoor district, Andhra Pradesh

Irala	Kambhamvaripalle	Kalakada	Kalikiri
Karvetinagar	Kuppam	Kurabalakota	K.V.B.Puram
Gangavaram	Gangadhara Nellore	Gudipala	Gurramkonda
Gudupalle	Chandragiri	Chittoor	Chinnagottigallu
Chowdepalle	Thamballapalle	Thavanampalle	Tirupati (Rural)
Tirupati (Urban)	Thottambedu	Nagari	Nagalapuram
Narayanavanam	Nindra	Nimmanapalle	Palamaner
Pakala	Palasamudram	Pichatur	Pileru
Punganur	Puttur	Pulicherla	Puthalapattu
Pedda	Thippasamudram	Peddapanjani	Peddamandyam
Penumuru	Bangarupalem	Baireddipalle	B.Kothakota
Buchinaidu	Kandriga	Madanapalle	Mulakalacheruvu
Yadamarri	Yerpedu	Yerravaripalem	Ramakuppam
Ramachandrapuram	Ramasamudram	Renigunta	Rompicherla
Vadamalapeta	Varadaiahpalem	Valmikipuram	Vijayapuram
Venkatagirikota	Vedurukuppam	Srirangarajapuram	Srikalahasti
Satyavedu	Santhipuram	Sodam	Somala

Table 2. Land use details of Chittor district, Andhra Pradesh

Land Use category	Area
Land Use category	Hectare	Percent
Evergreen / Semi Evergreen - Dense	23	0.00
Deciduous (Dry/Moist/Thorn)-Dense	141620	9.35
Deciduous (Dry/Moist/Thorn)-Open	138689	9.15
Tree Clad Area-Dense	6199	0.41
Tree Clad Area-Open	1498	0.10
Forest Plantation	5873	0.39
Scrub Forest	132088	8.72
Salt affected land	7736	0.51
Gullied land	2332	0.15
Dense scrub	85502	5.64
Open scrub	74367	4.91
Riverine	23	0.00
Barren Rocky/Stony waste	24424	1.61
Waterbodies	71997	4.75
Agriculture	764626	50.47
Horticulture	16468	1.09
Built-up	41605	2.75
Total Area	1515070	100.00

Figure 2. Land uses in the Chittoor district

Figure 3. Land use pattern of Chittor district

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