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Wildlife board approves new tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh
The 2,339 square kilometres new tiger reserve, to be called Durgavati Tiger Reserve, will spread across Narisinghpur, Damoh and Sagar districts. A green corridor linking PTR with Durgavati will be developed for the natural movement of the tiger to the new reserve, officials added.
Madhya Pradesh Wildlife Board on Friday approved a new reserve for tigers of Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR), one-fourth of which will get submerged due to the linking of the Ken-Betwa rivers, officials said.
The 2,339 square kilometres new tiger reserve, to be called Durgavati Tiger Reserve, will spread across Narisinghpur, Damoh and Sagar districts. A green corridor linking PTR with Durgavati will be developed for the natural movement of the tiger to the new reserve, officials added.
The Board’s meeting, chaired by Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, approved a proposal to notify 1,414 sq km area as core area and 925 sq km as a buffer in the new tiger reserve.
“Now, the proposal will be sent to National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for final approval,” said Abhilash Khandekar, a board member.
As part of a wildlife management plan for Panna in wake of the Ken-Betwa river linking project, the NTCA had asked Uttar Pradesh and MP governments to notify new tiger reserves. The two state governments, with the Centre, are implementing a ₹44,605 crore river-linking project to end the water crisis in Bundelkhand region.
On September 27, the Uttar Pradesh cabinet approved the notification of the state’s fourth tiger reserve in the Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary (RWS) in the Chitrakoot district. RWS has no tigers of its own. But pugmarks of the animals are frequently seen there as tigers from nearby PTR frequent it. The two protected areas are just 150 km from each other.
PTR, where the history of successful reintroduction of tigers was created after it lost all the tigers in 2009, is home to 54 big cats.
“The new tiger reserve is being developed so that big cats from Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) can shift there naturally,” said JS Chauhan principal chief conservator of forest (PCCF) (wildlife).
Nauradehi wildlife sanctuary, which has five tigers, is a corridor between Satpura and PTR, while Durgavati Wildlife Sanctuary is a green corridor for Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. “The new reserve will also accommodate excess tigers from Bandhavgarh,” Chauhan said.
Experts, however, said tigers are not the only species that will get affected. Panna is home to the largest number of vultures in Central India and loss of habitat will badly impact them.
“Panna is known for tigers and vultures. While tigers can move to Rani Durgavati reserve, what will happen to vulture habitats is not known,” said retired Indian Forest Service officer RS Murthy, who played an important role in the reintroduction of tigers in Panna in 2009.
“In 2020, UNESCO included PTR in a global network of biospheres because of its unique landscape and management. PTR lost all the tigers due to organized poachers, but the forest department reintroduced two females and a male tiger in 2011. The experiment was successful due to the change in the social behaviour of people. With the submergence of a huge area, ecology and lakhs of trees will be lost,” he said.
