Madhav National Park & Tiger Reserves in India

Madhav National Park & Tiger Reserves in India

Sub: Env

Sec: Protected Areas in news

 Location of Madhav National Park & Its Tiger Population

• Madhav National Park is located in Madhya Pradesh.
• It was declared the 58th tiger reserve in India on March 9.
• Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tiger reserves in India.

Factors Considered Before Declaring a Tiger Reserve

• A National Park/Wildlife Sanctuary is selected for a tiger reserve based on:
  • Adequate tiger habitat & prey base
  • Connectivity to other tiger reserves
  • Scientific planning for conservation
  • Funding support under Project Tiger
  • Protection measures like anti-poaching, habitat improvement, relocation of villages
  • Community involvement in conservation efforts
• Approval by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the State Government is necessary.

Tiger Population in India (2023 Census)

• The 2023 tiger census estimated 3,682 tigers in India.
• About 30% of these tigers live outside designated tiger reserves.

History & Significance of Tiger Reserves

• 1964: Estimated 40,000 tigers in India, but their numbers fell due to hunting, poaching, and deforestation.
• 1972: Wildlife Protection Act was passed.
• On April 1, 1973, Project Tiger was inaugurated at Corbett tiger reserve with nine tiger reserves announced across India – Corbett (then in Uttar Pradesh, now in Uttarakhand), Palamau (then in Bihar, now in Jharkhand), Simlipal (Odisha), Sunderbans (West Bengal), Manas (Assam), Ranthambore (Rajasthan), Kanha (Madhya Pradesh), Melghat (Maharashtra) and Bandipur (Karnataka) – which were representative of the various tiger habitats in the country.
• Over time, the number of tiger reserves increased to 58.

The Project Tiger (replaced by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) since 2006) guidelines made it mandatory for every tiger reserve to be managed in accordance with a site-specific management plan.

It laid down the concept of establishing a ‘core zone’ and a ‘buffer zone’, prescribed interventions for protection, habitat improvement, held data collection relating to change in the composition of flora and fauna on account of protection, animal estimation and other aspects. The guidelines also established Tiger Conservation Plans to ensure:

1. Protection and site-specific habitat managements for viable population of tigers, prey and co-predators
2. ecologically compatible land uses in the tiger reserves and areas linking one protected area or tiger reserve to another for addressing the livelihood concerns of local people.

To establish a reserve, the Centre gets a proposal from the State, the NTCA recommends the proposal to the State after due diligence, the State government notices the area as a Tiger Reserve.

Role of Project Tiger

• Under Project Tiger guidelines, 60% of the funds for conservation are provided by the Centre, while the rest is borne by the concerned State. In the case of Northeastern and Himalayan States, the Centre covers 90% of the funds
• These activities include anti-poaching initiatives, habitat improvement and water development, addressing human-animal conficts, designating inviolate spaces, and relocating villages from critical tiger habitats within a timeframe by offering a better relocation package. It also supports States in settling the rights of displaced people, rehabilitating traditional hunting tribes living in and around tiger reserves, conducting independent monitoring, and evaluating tiger reserves

Importance of Madhav National Park

• Acts as a wildlife corridor connecting Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (Rajasthan).
• Plays a key role in expanding the tiger population in central India.
• Previously home to royal hunting expeditions but later protected as a national park.

 Madhya Pradesh & Tiger Conservation

• Madhya Pradesh has major tiger reserves like Kanha, Bandhavgarh, and Panna.
• The Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh is also being developed for cheetah reintroduction, which may impact future tiger conservation.
• Madhav National Park is the ninth tiger reserve in the State, the highest among the States. Maharashtra has six; Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka have five each.