{"id":45299,"date":"2025-03-16T09:42:44","date_gmt":"2025-03-16T04:12:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=45299"},"modified":"2025-05-06T18:59:57","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T13:29:57","slug":"tiger-reserves-in-india-conservation-and-recognition-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/tiger-reserves-in-india-conservation-and-recognition-process\/","title":{"rendered":"Why India Created Its 58th Tiger Reserve \u2013 Madhav National Park"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in Today\u2019s Article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Tiger Reserve Latest News<\/li>\n<li>Rationale Behind Setting Up Tiger Reserves<\/li>\n<li>Key Aspects of Establishing a Tiger Reserve<\/li>\n<li>Significance of Madhav National Park<\/li>\n<li>Tiger Reserve FAQ\u2019s<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Tiger Reserve Latest News<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Recently, Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced that Madhav National Park in Madhya Pradesh has been designated as India\u2019s 58th tiger reserve.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>With this, Madhya Pradesh now has nine tiger reserves, the highest among all states. In comparison, Maharashtra has six, while Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka have five each.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/vajiram-prod.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com\/Indias_Tiger_Reserves_38cc832ca1.webp\" alt=\"Indias Tiger Reserves\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Rationale Behind Setting Up Tiger Reserves<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Decline in Tiger Population<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Tigers were once abundant in India, with an estimated 40,000 tigers in the early 20th century. However, due to hunting, poaching, deforestation, and colonial timber exploitation, their numbers declined sharply.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>By the 1960s, the population dropped to between 2,000 and 4,000, further worsened by gun licenses, increased forest access, and the fur trade.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Conservation Efforts Begin<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Recognizing the crisis, naturalists raised alarms, leading to the Indian Board for Wild Life (IBWL) recommending a ban on wild cat skin exports in 1969.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The same year, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classified the tiger as an endangered species in its Red Data Book and called for a ban on tiger killings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Launch of Project Tiger (1973)<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>With tiger numbers plummeting to 1,863, the then PM Indira Gandhi set up an 11-member Task Force to devise a conservation strategy.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>In August 1972, the Task Force proposed bringing key tiger habitats under Project Tiger, which was officially launched on April 1, 1973, at Corbett Tiger Reserve.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>First Nine Tiger Reserves<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Initially, nine tiger reserves were established across different ecosystems:\n<ul>\n<li>Corbett (Uttarakhand); Palamau (Jharkhand); Simlipal (Odisha)<\/li>\n<li>Sundarbans (West Bengal); Manas (Assam); Ranthambore (Rajasthan)<\/li>\n<li>Kanha (Madhya Pradesh); Melghat (Maharashtra); Bandipur (Karnataka)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>These reserves formed the foundation of India\u2019s tiger conservation movement, ensuring habitat protection and population recovery.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Key Aspects of Establishing a Tiger Reserve<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Scientific Management Framework<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Project Tiger, later replaced by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in 2006, introduced a structured approach to managing protected areas.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Every tiger reserve must follow a site-specific management plan, ensuring scientific conservation practices.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Core and Buffer Zones<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Tiger reserves are divided into:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Core Zone<\/strong> \u2013 Strictly protected habitat for tigers and wildlife.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Buffer Zone<\/strong> \u2013 Surrounding area with regulated human activities to support conservation efforts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tiger Conservation Plans (TCPs)<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The NTCA guidelines ensure:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Protection and habitat management<\/strong> for a viable population of tigers, prey, and co-predators.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ecologically compatible land use<\/strong> to connect tiger reserves and other protected areas.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Corridor creation<\/strong> to maintain genetic diversity by linking source populations (where tiger numbers grow) to sink habitats (where numbers decline).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Process of Declaring a Tiger Reserve<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>State Government submits a proposal<\/strong> to the Centre.<\/li>\n<li><strong>NTCA evaluates and recommends<\/strong> the proposal.<\/li>\n<li><strong>State Government officially notifies<\/strong> the area as a tiger reserve.<\/li>\n<li>This structured process ensures the long-term conservation and sustainability of tiger populations in India.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Funding Mechanism for Tiger Reserves<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Centre-State Cost Sharing<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>General States:<\/strong> 60% of the funding is provided by the Central Government, while the remaining 40% is borne by the State Government.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Northeastern &amp; Himalayan States:<\/strong> The Centre covers 90% of the cost, with States contributing 10%.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Significance of Madhav National Park<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Notified as a National Park in 1956 under the MP National Parks Act, 1955 with an initial area of 165.32 sq km.<\/li>\n<li>Now expanded to 355 sq km core area with a buffer zone of 4-6 sq km.<\/li>\n<li>Until 2023, there were no tigers; a male and two females were relocated, leading to a population increase to seven.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Ecological &amp; Strategic Importance<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Functions as a key wildlife corridor linking the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (Rajasthan) and Kuno National Park.<\/li>\n<li>Kuno hosts a captive cheetah population, raising concerns about predator competition for prey (deer population).<\/li>\n<li>Madhya Pradesh leads India in tiger conservation with 785 tigers, yet the Kuno-Madhav division has historically been neglected.<\/li>\n<li>Consolidated wildlife management is now focusing on both tigers and cheetahs in the region.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Future Conservation Plans &amp; Challenges<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Proposal to relocate Asiatic lions from Gir (Gujarat) to Kuno, approved by the Supreme Court.<\/li>\n<li>The government, in March 2023, raised concerns about lion-cheetah competition, delaying the relocation.<\/li>\n<li>If lions are introduced, it could bring more national and international conservation funding.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Tiger Reserve FAQs<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Q1.<\/strong> Why was Madhav National Park declared a tiger reserve?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans.<\/strong> To strengthen conservation, protect habitats, and establish vital wildlife corridors in Madhya Pradesh.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q2. <\/strong>What is the significance of Madhav National Park?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>It links Ranthambore and Kuno reserves, ensuring biodiversity and predator-prey balance.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q3. <\/strong>How are tiger reserves funded in India?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>The Centre funds 60%, states cover 40%; for Himalayan\/Northeastern states, the Centre provides 90%.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q4. <\/strong>What is the role of Project Tiger in conservation?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>Launched in 1973, it protects tigers, ensures habitat conservation, and monitors populations.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Q5. <\/strong>What are the future plans for Kuno and Madhav reserves?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Ans. <\/strong>Plans include introducing Asiatic lions, managing cheetahs, and securing additional conservation funding.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/madhya-pradesh\/why-has-india-got-another-tiger-reserve\/article69333519.ece#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20rationale%20behind,in%20the%20early%2020th%20century.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TH<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/upsc-current-affairs\/upsc-essentials\/knowledge-nugget-indias-58th-tiger-reserve-upsc-madhav-tiger-reserve-9714453\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">IE<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Madhav National Park becomes India\u2019s 58th tiger reserve, boosting conservation and wildlife corridors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":45300,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-45299","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45299"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45299\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45300"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}