58th Tiger Reserve of India : Madhav National Park of Madhya Pradesh

The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change has notified the Madhav National Park of Madhya Pradesh as the 58th Tiger Reserve of the country under the centrally sponsored scheme Project Tiger. It is the 9th Tiger Reserve of the state under the Tiger Project of the central government.

Bhupendra Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest, and Climate Change, posted this information on his social media handle on March 9, 2025.

In December 2024, the Union Ministry notified the Ratapani Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh as the 57th Tiger Reserve of India. 

Renaming of the Madhav National Park to Madhav Tiger Reserve 

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav renamed the Madhav National Park as the Madhav Tiger Reserve on 11 March 2025. 

The Park was renamed on the occasion of the 80th birth anniversary of former Congress Party leader and Union Minister Madhav Rao Scindia. 

Madhav Rao Scindia’s son and Union Minister for Communication and Development of North Eastern Region Jyotiraditya Scindia was also present during the ceremony.

During the occasion, two tigers were released in the Reserve, taking the total number of tigers in the Reserve to seven.

About the Madhav National Park Madhya Pradesh

• The Madhav National Park is situated in the Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh.
• It was notified as a National Park in 1958.
• It is spread over 375.233 sq.km.
• It is situated on the northern fringe of the Central Highlands of India, forming a part of the Upper Vindhyan Hills.
• Sakhya Sagar and Madhav Sagar are the two lakes in Madhav National Park.
•  Marsh Crocodiles are found in abundance in Sakhya Sagar Lake. 

9th Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh 

Madhav National Park is Madhya Pradesh's ninth Tiger Reserve. The others are Kanha, Pench, Bandhavgarh, Satpura, Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve, Panna, Sanjay-Dubri, and Ratapani.

Madhya Pradesh has the largest number of Tiger reserves under Project Tiger.

About Project Tiger 

Project Tiger was launched as a centrally sponsored project in 1973 as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme.

The scheme aims to :

• Ensure the maintenance of a viable population of Tigers in India for scientific, cultural, aesthetic, economic, and ecological values. 
• Preserve the notified areas of biological importance as a national heritage.

In December 2015, the central government established the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to implement Project Tiger and strengthen the country's tiger conservation effort.

The NTCA was set up as a statutory body under the provision of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.

All the 59 Tiger Reserves in India  

Following is the list of the Tiger Reserves in India under Project Tiger.