In news– Madhya Pradesh Wildlife Board has recently approved a new reserve for tigers of Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR), one-fourth of which will get submerged due to the linking of the Ken-Betwa rivers.
The new tiger reserve-
- The 2,339 square kilometres new tiger reserve, to be called Durgavati Tiger Reserve(DTR), will spread across Narisinghpur, Damoh and Sagar districts.
- A green corridor linking PTR with Durgavati will be developed for the natural movement of the tiger to the new reserve.
- The new tiger reserve(DTR) is being developed so that big cats from Panna Tiger Reserve (PTR) can shift there naturally.
- Nauradehi wildlife sanctuary, which has five tigers, is a corridor between Satpura and PTR, while Durgavati Wildlife Sanctuary is a green corridor for Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve.
- The new reserve will also accommodate excess tigers from Bandhavgarh.
Note:
- As part of a wildlife management plan for Panna in wake of the Ken-Betwa river linking project, the NTCA had asked Uttar Pradesh and MP governments to notify new tiger reserves.
- The two state governments, with the Centre, are implementing a ₹44,605 crore river-linking project to end the water crisis in Bundelkhand region.
- The Uttar Pradesh cabinet approved the notification of the state’s fourth tiger reserve in the Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary (RWS) in the Chitrakoot district. RWS has no tigers of its own.
- Panna is home to the largest number of vultures in Central India and loss of habitat will badly impact them.
- In 2020, UNESCO included PTR in a global network of biospheres because of its unique landscape and management.
Further reading: https://journalsofindia.com/ken-betwa-river-link-project/
Source: Hindustan Times
