With its tiger population plunging in recent years, Chhattisgarh on August 7, cleared a long-pending proposal to notify a new tiger reserve – the third largest in the country. The Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve, which integrates an existing national park with a wildlife sanctuary, is Chhattisgarh’s fourth reserve for the big cats. It spans 2,829 square kilometres across four northern districts of the state.
Tiger population fell from 46 to 17
Chhattisgarh’s tiger population fell from 46 in 2014 to 17 in 2022, according to a National Tiger Conservation Authority report released in July 2023.
Small tiger population states
Some states, including Mizoram, Nagaland, Jharkhand, Goa, Chhattisgarh and Arunachal Pradesh have reported disquieting trends with small tiger populations. On August 7, the state cabinet merged the regions of the Guru Ghasidas National Park and the Tamor Pingla Sanctuary, located in the districts of Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur, Koriya, Surajpur and Balrampur, to create the new reserve.
Tiger reserve foster eco-tourism
“The formation of this tiger reserve will foster eco-tourism in the state and create employment opportunities for villagers residing in the core and buffer zones, as guides, tourist vehicle operators, and resort managers. Additionally, the National Project Tiger Authority will provide an extra budget for the reserve’s operations, which will facilitate new livelihood development projects in the surrounding villages,” the government said in a statement.
PIL in the high court
In 2019, wildlife activist Ajay Dubey had filed the PIL in the high court flagging the fall in the population of the big cats in the state. The PIL alleged inaction by the government in notifying and constituting the reserve since 2012 despite approval from the National Tiger Conservation Authority as well as the Union Environment Ministry. The decision comes after the Chhattisgarh High Court, while hearing a PIL on July 15, granted four weeks to the state government to clear its stand on declaring that area a tiger reserve.
Country’s largest tiger reserve
Andhra Pradesh’s Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve is the country’s largest tiger reserve, covering 3,296.31 sq km. Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam is the second largest with an area of 2,837.1 sq km. Both have 58 tigers.