56th TIGER RESERVE OF THE COUNTRY NOTIFIED IN CHHATTISGARH

Environment & Ecology


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 19-Nov-2024

Why in the News?

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla in Chhattisgarh as India’s 56th tiger reserve. Spanning 2,829 sq km, the new reserve marks another milestone in India's tiger conservation efforts, highlighting the nation's commitment to protecting its wildlife and ecosystems.

About Guru Ghasidas - Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve

  • Location:
    • Spread across Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur, Korea, Surajpur, and Balrampur districts in Chhattisgarh.
    • Part of the Chota Nagpur plateau and partly in the Baghelkhand plateau.
  • Area:
    • Total: 2,829.38 sq. km.
    • Core/Critical Habitat: 2,049.2 sq. km. (Guru Ghasidas National Park and Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary).
    • Buffer: 780.15 sq. km.
  • Ranking by Size: 3rd largest tiger reserve in India.
  • First two largest:
    • Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Andhra Pradesh.
    • Manas Tiger Reserve, Assam.
  • Connectivity:
    • Contiguous with Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh), forming a landscape complex of nearly 4,500 sq. km.
    • Connected to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh) in the west and Palamau Tiger Reserve (Jharkhand) in the east.
  • Fauna:
    • Total species documented: 753 (365 invertebrates, 388 vertebrates).
    • Invertebrates: Primarily insects.
    • Vertebrates: 230 bird species, 55 mammal species (includes several threatened species).
  • Conservation Significance:
    • Recognized as the 56th Tiger Reserve of India in October 2021 by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
    • Fourth tiger reserve in Chhattisgarh, enhancing conservation efforts under Project Tiger.
  • Ecological Features: Diverse terrain with dense forests, streams, and rivers, creating critical tiger habitats and fostering rich faunal diversity.

About Tiger Reserves

  • However, a tiger reserve may also be a national park or wildlife sanctuary.
  • It is a protected area statutorily designated for the conservation of the big striped cats is referred to as Tiger Reserve.
  • Tiger reserves are governed by Project Tiger (1973).
    • Such as the Sariska Tiger Reserve is also a national park. It is so because the place was originally created as a national park and later dedicated to tiger conservation.

Project Tiger

  • It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment and Forests.
  • It is administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
  • The Tiger Reserves are constituted on a ‘core-buffer strategy’.
  • Core Zone
    • The core area is kept free of biotic disturbances and forestry operations, where collection of minor forest produce, grazing, human disturbances are not allowed within.
    • These areas are required to be kept for the purposes of tiger conservation, without affecting the rights of the Scheduled Tribes or other forest dwellers.
    • Notified By: These areas are notified by the State Government in consultation with an Expert Committee (constituted for that purpose).
  • Buffer Zone
    • It is defined as the area peripheral to the critical tiger habitat or core area providing supplementary habitat for dispersing tigers, besides offering scope for co-existence of human activity (tribals).
    • Limits of Buffer Zone: The limits of such areas are determined with the Gram Sabha concerned and an Expert Committee constituted for the purpose.

List of 56 Tiger Reserves in India
S No. Tiger Reserves in India State/UT Location Year Total Area (sq km)
1 Bandipur Tiger Reserve Karnataka Western Ghats 1974 914.02
2 Corbett Tiger Reserve Uttarakhand Himalayan Foothills 1973 1,288.31
3 Kanha Tiger Reserve Madhya Pradesh Central India 1974 2,051.79
4 Manas Tiger Reserve Assam Eastern Himalayas 1973 2,837.10
5 Melghat Tiger Reserve Maharashtra Satpura Range 1974 2,768.52
6 Palamu Tiger Reserve Jharkhand Chota Nagpur Plateau 1973 1,129.93
7 Ranthambore Tiger Reserve Rajasthan Aravalli Range 1973 1,411.29
8 Simlipal Tiger Reserve Odisha Eastern Ghats 1973 2,750.00
9 Sunderban Tiger Reserve West Bengal Sundarbans 1984 2,584.89
10 Periyar Tiger Reserve Kerala Western Ghats 1978 925
11 Sariska Tiger Reserve Rajasthan Aravalli Range 1978 1,213.34
12 Buxa Tiger Reserve West Bengal Eastern Himalayas 1983 757.9
13 Indravati Tiger Reserve Chhattisgarh Bastar Plateau 1982 2,799.07
14 Namdapha Tiger Reserve Arunachal Pradesh Eastern Himalayas 1983 2,052.82
15 Nagarjunsagar Tiger Reserve Telangana Deccan Plateau 1983 3,296.31
16 Dudhwa Tiger Reserve Uttar Pradesh Terai 1987 2,201.77
17 Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve Tamil Nadu Western Ghats 1988 1,601.54
18 Valmiki Tiger Reserve Bihar Gangetic Plains 1990 899.38
19 Pench Tiger Reserve Madhya Pradesh Satpura Range 1992 1,179.63
20 Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve Maharashtra Central India 1993 1,727.59
21 Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve Madhya Pradesh Central India 1993 1,536.93
22 Panna Tiger Reserve Madhya Pradesh Central India 1994 1,598.10
23 Dampa Tiger Reserve Mizoram Mizo Hills 1994 988
24 Bhadra Tiger Reserve Karnataka Western Ghats 1998 1,064.29
25 Pench Tiger Reserve Maharashtra Satpura Range 1999 741.22
26 Pakke Tiger Reserve Arunachal Pradesh Eastern Himalayas 2002 1,198.45
27 Nameri Tiger Reserve Assam Eastern Himalayas 1999 464
28 Satpura Tiger Reserve Madhya Pradesh Central India 1999 2,133.31
29 Anamalai Tiger Reserve Tamil Nadu Western Ghats 2008 1,479.87
30 Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve Chhattisgarh Maikal Hills 2008 1,842.54
31 Satkosia Tiger Reserve Odisha Eastern Ghats 2007 963.87
32 Kaziranga Tiger Reserve Assam Eastern Himalayas 2007 1,173.58
33 Achanakmar Tiger Reserve Chhattisgarh Maikal Hills 2009 914.02
34 Kali Tiger Reserve Karnataka Western Ghats 2010 1,097.51
35 Sanjay Dhubri Tiger Reserve Madhya Pradesh Central India 2011 1,674.50
36 Mudumalai Tiger Reserve Tamil Nadu Western Ghats 2012 688.59
37 Nagarhole Tiger Reserve Karnataka Western Ghats 2012 1,205.76
38 Parambikulam Tiger Reserve Kerala Western Ghats 2010 643.66
39 Sahyadri Tiger Reserve Maharashtra Western Ghats 2009 1,165.57
40 Biligiri Ranganatha Temple Tiger Reserve Karnataka Western Ghats 2010 574.82
41 Kawal Tiger Reserve Telangana Deccan Plateau 2012 2,015.44
42 Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve Tamil Nadu Western Ghats 2013 1,408.40
43 Mukundara Tiger Reserve Rajasthan Aravalli Range 2013 759.99
44 Nawegaon Nagzira Tiger Reserve Maharashtra Central India 2013 1,894.94
45 Amrabad Tiger Reserve Telangana Deccan Plateau 2014 2,611.39
46 Pilibhit Tiger Reserve Uttar Pradesh Terai 2014 730.25
47 Bor Tiger Reserve Maharashtra Central India 2014 816.27
48 Rajaji Tiger Reserve Uttarakhand Shivalik Range 2015 1,075.17
49 Orang Tiger Reserve Assam Eastern Himalayas 2016 492.46
50 Kamlang Tiger Reserve Arunachal Pradesh Eastern Himalayas 2017 783
51 Srivilliputhur Megamalai Tiger Reserve Tamil Nadu Western Ghats 2021

1,016.57
52 Ramgarh Tiger Reserve Rajasthan Aravalli Range 2022

1501.8921
53 Guru Ghasidas Tiger Reserve Chhattisgarh Maikal Hills 2023

2,048
54 Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve Madhya Pradesh Central India 2023

1414.28
55 Dholpur-Karauli Tiger Reserve Rajasthan Aravali Range 2023

599.64
56 Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve Chhattisgarh Chota Nagpur plateau and partly in Baghelkhand plateau, 2024

2829