Context: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has given permission for translocation of eight tigers from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) and Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR) to Sahyadri Tiger Reserve. It is aimed to revive the big cat’s population in the northern Western Ghats.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Key facts about Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve; Pench Tiger Reserve; Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.
Sahyadri Tiger Reserve:
- Location: Sahyadri Ranges of Western Maharashtra.
- STR is spread across Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, and Ratnagiri districts of Maharashtra.
- The reserve was notified by amalgamating Chandoli National Park and Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary.
- The central portion of STR is occupied by Shivsagar reservoir of Koyana river and Vasant Sagar reservoir of Warana river.
Pench Tiger Reserve:
- Location: Southern slopes of Satpura range. Spread in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
- PTR comprises Pench National Park and Mowgli Pench Sanctuary.
- Pench river flows through the park from north to south and splits the park into two. Meghdoot dam on Pench river is located on the boundary of this Tiger Reserve.
Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve:
- Location: Chandrapur district, Maharashtra in the Vidarbha region.
- The tiger reserve consists of Tadoba National Park and Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary.
- The Andhari river passes through this reserve.
Key Facts about Tiger:
- Tiger is an umbrella species. Its conservation automatically ensures the conversation of a large number of flora and fauna and entire ecosystems.
- India is home to 75% of the global tiger population.
- The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) conducts a tiger census across India every 4 years.
- Latest Tiger Census Report (2022): India has 3682 tigers. (2967 in 2018)
- Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tigers (785) in India, followed by Karnataka and Uttarakhand.
- Conservation status:
- IUCN Red List: Endangered
- Wildlife Protection Act: Schedule 1
- CITES: Appendix 1
Also Read: List of Tiger Reserves in India