Current Affairs

Issue

Areas of the Guru Ghasidas National Park and Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary of Chhattisgarh have been declared as a Tiger Reserve.

 

Background

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) approves formation of tiger reserves. It will be the fourth reserve in Chhattisgarh.

 

Details

Chhattisgarh already hosts Udanti-Sitanadi, Achanakmar, and Indravati Reserves. The new reserve is present in the northern part of the state that borders Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.

 

The reserve

• The Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary was made a part of the Sarguja Jashpur Elephant Reserve in 2011. The Guru Ghasidas National Park used to be part of the Sanjay National Park before state bifurcation.

• Tamor Pingla is located in Surajpur district of Chhattisgarh. Guru Ghasidas National Park is situated in Koriya district.

 

Importance

• Guru Ghasidas National Park is the last known habitat of the Asiatic cheetah in the country. It came into existence in Sarguja region.

• The Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary was set to be part of elephant corridor. Bhoramdeo Wildlife Sanctuary was earmarked as a Tiger Reserve.   

• The resistance from local population forced the government to back-track. It later culminated in notification of Guru Ghasidas National Park as tiger reserve.

 

Tiger corridor

• Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh states are connected through Guru Ghasidas national park and it provides a corridor for tigers to move between the Bandhavgarh and Palamau Tiger Reserves.

• Bhoramdeo provides link between Indravati Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh with the Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.