Madhya Pradesh Wildlife Board has approved a new reserve for tigers of Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR), 1/4 of which will get submerged due to the linking of the Ken-Betwa rivers.
Key points
- The proposal will be sent to National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for final approval.
- The 2,339 square kilometres new tiger reserve, to be called Durgavati Tiger Reserve (DTR), will spread across Narisinghpur, Damoh and Sagar districts.
- A green corridor linking Panna Tiger Reserve with Durgavati will be developed for the natural movement of the tiger to the new reserve.
- The Board, 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.
- As part of a wildlife management plan for Panna in wake of the Ken-Betwa river linking project, the NTCA had asked UP and MP governments to notify new tiger reserves.
- The Uttar Pradesh cabinet has already approved the notification of the state’s 4th tiger reserve in the Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary (RWS) in the Chitrakoot district.
- Ranipur has no tigers of its own, however, pugmarks of the animals are frequently seen there as tigers from nearby Panna Tiger Reserve frequent it.
- The two protected areas are just 150 km from each other.
- Nauradehi wildlife sanctuary is a corridor between Satpura and Panna Tiger Reserve, while Durgavati Wildlife Sanctuary is a green corridor for Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.
- Currently, Madhya Pradesh has four tiger reserves; Bandhavgarh, Panna, Satpura and Sanjay-Dubri.
