57th Tiger Reserve of India : Ratapani Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
6 min read
The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified Ratapani Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh as the 57th Tiger Reserve of the country under the centrally sponsored scheme Project Tiger.
In November this year, the Union Ministry notified Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve of Chhattisgarh as the 56th Tiger Reserve of India.
This information was given by Bhupendra Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in a social post on 3rd December 2024.
Bhupendra Yadav is in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, attending the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
Read about the 16th COP of the UNCCD
About the Ratapani Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh
- The Ratapani Tiger Reserve is situated in the Raisen and Sehore districts of Madhya Pradesh.
- It is spread over 1271.4 sq km, and the reserve's core area is 763.8 sq km.
- Nestled in the Vindhyan hills, the reserve has many historical monuments, such as the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Bhimbetka Rock Shelters,” Ginnourgarh Fort, Keri Mahadeo, Ratapani Dam, and Jholiyapur Dam.
- The forest in Ratapani is dry deciduous and moist deciduous type.
- About 55 per cent of the area is covered by teak.
- The reserves contain around 40 tigers, more than 35 species of mammals, 33 species of reptiles, 14 species of fish, 10 species of amphibians, and 104 species of butterflies.
8th Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh
The recently notified Ratapani Tiger Reserve is the eighth Tiger Reserve of the state; others are Kanha, Pench, Bandhavgarh, Satpura, Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, Panna, and Sanjay-Dubri.
Madhya Pradesh has the largest Tiger Reserves in the country under Project Tiger.
About Project Tiger
The Government of India launched Project Tiger in 1973 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
The scheme aims to :
- To ensure the maintenance of a viable population of Tigers in India for scientific, economic, aesthetic, cultural and ecological values and
- To preserve areas of biological importance as a national heritage for the people's benefit, education, and enjoyment at all times.
The Government of India established the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in December 2005 to implement Project Tiger and strengthen the country's tiger conservation effort.
The NTCA is a statutory body set up under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 provisions.
The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change is the chairperson of the NTCA.
Updated list of the Tiger Reserves in India
Following is the updated list of the Tiger Reserves in India as per the Project Tiger Scheme.
|
S. No. |
State |
Name of Tiger Reserve |
Year of Notification |
Total area (In Sq.Kms) |
|
1 |
Andhra Pradesh |
Nagarjunsagar Srisailam |
2007 |
3296.31 |
|
2 |
Arunachal Pradesh |
Namdapha |
1987 |
2052.82 |
|
3 |
Arunachal Pradesh |
Pakke |
2012 |
1198.45 |
|
4 |
Arunachal Pradesh |
Kamlang |
2017 |
783.00 |
|
5 |
Assam |
Manas |
2008 |
2837.10 |
|
6 |
Assam |
Nameri |
2000 |
464.00 |
|
7 |
Assam |
Kaziranga |
2007 |
1173.58 |
|
8 |
Assam |
Orang |
2016 |
492.46 |
|
9 |
Bihar |
Valmiki |
2012 |
899.38 |
|
10 |
Chhattisgarh |
Udanti-Sitanadi |
2009 |
1842.54 |
|
11 |
Chhattisgarh |
Achanakmar |
2005 |
914.02 |
|
12 |
Chhattisgarh |
Indravati |
2009 |
2799.07 |
|
13 |
Chhattisgarh |
Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla |
2024 |
2,829 |
|
14 |
Jharkhand |
Palamau |
2012 |
1129.93 |
|
15 |
Karnataka |
Bandipur |
2007 |
1456.30 |
|
16 |
Karnataka |
Bhadra |
2007 |
1064.29 |
|
17 |
Karnataka |
Kali (Dandeli-Anshi) |
2007 |
1097.51 |
|
18 |
Karnataka |
Nagarahole |
2007 |
1205.76 |
|
19 |
Karnataka |
Biligiri Ranganatha Temple |
2007 |
574.82 |
|
20 |
Kerala |
Periyar |
2007 |
925.00 |
|
21 |
Kerala |
Parambikulam |
2009 |
643.66 |
|
22 |
Madhya Pradesh |
Kanha |
2007 |
2051.79 |
|
23 |
Madhya Pradesh |
Pench |
2007 |
1179.63 |
|
24 |
Madhya Pradesh |
Bandhavgarh |
2007 |
1536.94 |
|
25 |
Madhya Pradesh |
Panna |
2007 |
1598.10 |
|
26 |
Madhya Pradesh |
Satpura |
2007 |
2133.31 |
|
27 |
Madhya Pradesh |
Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve |
2023 |
2339.12 |
|
28 |
Madhya Pradesh |
Sanjay-Dubri |
2011 |
1674.50 |
|
29 |
Madhya Pradesh |
Ratapani Tiger Reserve |
2024 |
1271.4 sq km |
|
30 |
Maharashtra |
Melghat |
2007 |
2768.52 |
|
31 |
Maharashtra |
Tadoba-Andhari |
2007 |
1727.59 |
|
32 |
Maharashtra |
Pench (It is spread in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh) |
2007 |
741.22 |
|
33 |
Maharashtra |
Sahyadri |
2012 |
1165.57 |
|
34 |
Maharashtra |
Nawegaon-Nagzira |
2103 |
1894.94 |
|
35 |
Maharashtra |
Bor |
2012 |
816.27 |
|
36 |
Mizoram |
Dampa |
2007 |
988.00 |
|
37 |
Odisha |
Similipal |
2007 |
2750.00 |
|
38 |
Odisha |
Satkosia |
2007 |
963.87 |
|
39 |
Rajasthan |
Ranthambore |
2007 |
1411.29 |
|
40 |
Rajasthan |
Sariska |
2007 |
1213.34 |
|
41 |
Rajasthan |
Ramgarh-Vishdhari |
2022 |
1501.89 |
|
42 |
Rajasthan |
Dholpur – Karauli Tiger Reserve |
2023 |
599.6406 |
|
43 |
Rajasthan |
Mukundara Hills |
2013 |
759.99 |
|
44 |
Tamil Nadu |
Kalakad-Mundanthurai |
2007 |
1601.54 |
|
45 |
Tamil Nadu |
Mudumalai |
2007 |
688.59 |
|
46 |
Tamil Nadu |
Sathyamangalam |
2013 |
1408.40 |
|
47 |
Tamil Nadu |
Anamalai |
2007 |
1479.87 |
|
48 |
Tamil Nadu |
Srivilliputhur Megamalai |
2021 |
1016.56 |
|
49 |
Telangana |
Kawal |
2012 |
2015.44 |
|
50 |
Telangana |
Amrabad |
2015 |
2611.39 |
|
51 |
Uttar Pradesh |
Dudhwa |
2010 |
2201.77 |
|
52 |
Uttar Pradesh |
Ranipur |
2022 |
529.36 |
|
53 |
Uttar Pradesh |
Pilibhit |
2014 |
730.25 |
|
54 |
Uttarakhand |
Jim Corbett |
2010 |
1288.31 |
|
55 |
Uttarakhand |
Rajaji |
2015 |
1075.17 |
|
56 |
West Bengal |
Sunderbans |
2007 |
2584.89 |
|
57 |
West Bengal |
Buxa |
2009 |
757.90 |
