Knowledge nugget of the day: India’s 58th tiger reserve

3. Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary of Madhya Pradesh has a core area of ​​763.8 sq km, buffer area of ​​507.6 sq km and total area of ​​1271.4 sq km.

What is a Tiger Reserve?

1. A tiger reserve in India is a designated area established under the Project Tiger initiative to ensure the conservation of tigers and their habitats. These reserves are part of the government’s efforts to protect the tiger population, maintain biodiversity, and restore ecological balance.

2. Tiger reserves consist of extensive areas of land that include both a core zone and a buffer zone. The core area is designated as a national park or sanctuary, providing strict protections for wildlife. In contrast, the buffer zone is a mix of forested and non-forested land that serves various uses. These buffer zones act as transitional areas that support wildlife movement and habitat.

Process of Creating a Tiger Reserve

1. The state government identifies a suitable area for a tiger reserve based on the presence of a viable tiger population and appropriate habitat. Ecological assessments are conducted, which include studies on the prey base, vegetation, and the area’s potential to support tigers.

The IUCN status of the tiger is endangered, and it is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. (PTI Photo/Gurinder Osan)

2. The state prepares a detailed proposal that includes maps, ecological studies, and management plans. This proposal is submitted to the NTCA, which reviews and approves it before forwarding it to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for further consideration.

3. Once this process is complete, the state government issues a preliminary notification under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, declaring the identified area as a tiger reserve.

4. After addressing any objections or proposed modifications, the state issues a final notification under Section 38V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, formalizing the establishment of the reserve. Notably, As per section 38W of the Act, once the notification comes “no State Government shall de-notify a tiger reserve, except in public interest with the approval of the Tiger Conservation Authority and the National Board for Wild Life”.

Conservation of Tiger (Panthera Tigris)

1. The IUCN status of the tiger is endangered, and it is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

2. India has been actively collaborating with neighbouring countries to enhance transboundary conservation efforts like India-Bangladesh to promote tiger conservation across the Sundarbans landscape.

3. International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA) was launched by the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, in 2023 to promote the protection of seven big cats: the tiger, leopard, snow leopard, lion, cheetah, puma and jaguar during a program honouring 50 years of Project Tiger. The alliance seeks to establish contact with a spectrum of countries that surround these large cats’ native habitats. The IBCA aims to increase international collaboration and conservation efforts for these untamed inhabitants.

BEYOND THE NUGGET: Project Tiger

1. The ‘Project Tiger’ is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) launched by the Central government on April 1, 1973, in a bid to promote conservation of the tiger. The programme came at a time when India’s tiger population was rapidly dwindling. According to reports, while there were 40,000 tigers in the country at the time of the Independence, they were soon reduced to below 2,000 by 1970 due to their widespread hunting and poaching.

2. To tackle the problem of hunting and poaching of not just tigers but also other animals and birds, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi promulgated the Wildlife Protection Act in 1972. A year later, after a task force urged the government to create a chain of reserves dedicated to tiger preservation, government unveiled Project Tiger.

3. Launched at the Jim Corbett National Park, the programme was initially started in nine tiger reserves of different States such as Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, covering over 14,000 sq km.

4. Notably, Project Tiger didn’t just focus on the conservation of the big cats. It also ensured the preservation of their natural habitat as tigers are at the top of the food chain.

(Sources: Fifty years of ‘Project Tiger’, ntca.gov.in, With Ratapani in MP declared India’s latest tiger reserve, all about the protected areas,International Big Cat Alliance and India, PM Modi hails India adding 58th tiger reserve to its tally)

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