Women take the wheel for safer tourism in Satpura Tiger Reserve

Women take the wheel for safer tourism in Satpura Tiger Reserve

Subject: Environment

Section: Places in news

Context: As part of the ‘Safe Tourism Destination for Women’ project launched by the Madhya Pradesh government, women drivers have been appointed to take tourists on safaris at the Satpura Tiger Reserve.

More on the News:

• Safe Tourism Destination for Women aims to provide employment opportunities to women from local communities, living in and around tourist destinations, while also ensuring the safety of women at these spots.
• The project was developed using the central government’s Nirbhaya Fund that was set up in 2013 to enhance the safety and security of women in the country.

Satpura Tiger Reserve

• The Satpura Tiger Reserve is located in the Hoshangabad district of Madhya Pradesh and is spread over an area of 1427 square kilometers. It was declared a tiger reserve in 1999 under the Project Tiger initiative.
• The Satpura Tiger Reserve is located in the Satpura Range of Central India, which is a part of the Deccan Plateau.
• Satpura tiger reserve comprises of three protected areas namely,
  • Satpura National Park,
  • Bori Sanctuary, and
  • Pachmarhi Sanctuary.
• Denwa river is the main water source of the park. It originates from south-eastern part of the Hoshangabad district in Madhya Pradesh and flows from east to west direction before joining the Tawa river at the south of Ranipur.
• The Satpura Tiger Reserve is also connected to other wildlife reserves in the region like the Pench Tiger Reserve, Kanha Tiger Reserve, and Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. This connectivity helps in the movement of animals and also ensures genetic diversity.
• The Satpura Tiger Reserve is home to a wide variety of flora and fauna. The reserve has a large area of teak forest, which is interspersed with other trees like sal, bamboo, and grasslands.
• The reserve is home to a variety of animals such as tigers, leopards, Indian bison, wild boars, sloth bears, and many species of birds. The reserve also has a large population of the endangered Indian giant squirrel.
• Satpura Tiger Reserve faces various challenges such as human-wildlife conflict, illegal poaching, and habitat loss.