Area between Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve and Kawal Tiger Reserve will sooner be designated as a conservation reserve after Telangana State Board for Wildlife (SBWL)’s approval.
What is a conservation reserve?
- Conservation reserves and community reserves in India are terms denoting protected areas of India which typically act as buffer zones to or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and reserved and protected forests of India.
- Designations include conservation areas if uninhabited and solely owned by the Government of India, and community areas if some lands are privately owned.
- The categories of conservation reserves and community reserves in India were introduced in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2002 as an amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
- These categories addressed the challenges of reduced protection in and around existing or proposed protected areas due to private land ownership and land use issues.
Declaration of a conservation reserve:
- The State Government, in consultation with local communities, can declare government-owned areas, particularly those adjacent to National Parks and sanctuaries, as conservation reserves to protect landscapes, seascapes, flora, fauna, and their habitats.
- The prior concurrence of the Central Government is required for declaring a conservation reserve if it includes land owned by the Central Government.
State Board for Wildlife:
- State Board for Wildlife is constituted under Section 6(1) of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
- The State Wildlife Board has the primary task to manage the conservation and protection of wildlife at the State Level.
- It is empowered to exercise powers bestowed upon it under the Wildlife Act, 1972.
About Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve:
- Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve is a wildlife sanctuary in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra.
- The reserve includes Tadoba National Park and the Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Tadoba National Park is Maharashtra’s oldest and largest national park, established in 1955.
- Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary was formed in the year 1986 and was amalgamated with the park in 1995 to establish the present Tiger Reserve.
About Kawal Tiger Reserve:
- Kawal Tiger Reserve is a nature preserve in the Jannaram mandal of Mancherial District, Telangana.
- It’s located along the Godavari river, part of the Deccan peninsula-central highlands.
- The reserve is located in the Sahyadri Mountain Ranges and encompasses diverse habitats such as dense forests, grasslands, open areas, rivers, streams, and water bodies.
- It was established in 1999 and declared a tiger reserve by the Indian government in 2012.
Ref: Source
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