Corbett Tiger Reserve

About Corbett Tiger Reserve:

• It is located on the foothills of the Himalayas in Uttarakhand, spread over three districts, viz., Pauri, Nainital, and Almora.
• Establishment:
  • Corbett is the first national park of India, established in 1936. It was named Hailey National Park then.
  • In 1957, the park was rechristened Corbett National Park in memory of the late Jim Corbett, a great naturalist and eminent conservationist.
  • Today, after the addition of areas to the originally declared National Park, the total area of Tiger Reserve extends to 1288.31 sq. km.
• The terrain is undulating with several valleys. The rivers Ramganga, Pallaen, and Sonanadi flow through the valleys.
• By and large, the reserve is spread over the Bhabar and lower Shivalik regionswith a deep-water table.
• The tract is porouswith boulders and sand deposits.
• Flora:
  • In general, the vegetation comprises of sal and mixed forests, interspersed with grass lands and riparian vegetation.
  • The grasslands are locally known as ‘Chaur’, which are an outcome of abandoned settlements or past clearings.
  • Evergreen Sal and its combined trees, the Sheesham, and the Kanju are found extensively on the ridges.
  • One plant, (actually a weed), which is a major irritant to the reserve authorities and is widespread in the jungle, is the Lantana. 
• Fauna: Tigers and elephants are the charismatic mammals, besides a large array of co-predators (leopards, small carnivores), ungulates (sambar, hog deer, spotted deer), birds, reptiles (gharials, crocodile), and fishes. 

Q1: What is a Tiger Reserve?

Tiger Reserve is a legally declared protected area dedicated to the conservation of striped big cats. A tiger reserve, on the other hand, could be a national park or wildlife sanctuary. The Sariska Tiger Reserve, for example, is also a national park.

Source: Ramnagar: Corbett Tiger Reserve runs awareness campaign to celebrate World Elephant Day