Kawal Tiger Reserve

About Kawal Tiger Reserve

• · Location:
  • o It is located in the north-eastern part of Telangana (Old Adilabad district), with the Godavari River on one side and the Maharashtra border on the other.
  • o It forms part of the Deccan peninsula-central highlands.
• · The government of India declared Kawal Wildlife Sanctuary a Tiger Reserve in 2012.
• · Rivers: The reserve is the catchment for the rivers Godavari and Kadam, which flow towards the south of the sanctuary.
• · Geographically, the reserve is situated at the southernmost tip of the Central Indian Tiger Landscape, having linkages with the Tadoba-Andhari (Maharashtra) and Indravati (Chhattisgarh) tiger reserves.
• · Habitat: It has diverse habitats comprising dense forests, grasslands, open areas, rivers, streams and water bodies.
• · Vegetation: Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest.
• · Flora:
  • o Teak is found extensively, along with Bamboo.
  • o As many as 673 plant species have been recorded, and the important ones are Anogeissus latifolia, Mitragyna parviflora, Terminalia crenulata, Terminalia arjuna, Boswellia serrata, etc.
• · Fauna:
  • o It has a faunal diversity which is typical of the Deccan Plateau.
  • o The major wild animals include: nilgai, chousinga, chinkara, black buck, sambar, spotted deer, wild dog, wolf, jackal, fox, tiger, leopard, and the jungle cat.

Q1) What is the Deccan Plateau?

The Deccan Plateau is a large plateau that occupies major parts of western and southern India. The plateau covers an area of 4,22,000 sq. km, which is about 43% of the Indian landmass. The plateau’s name is anglicized from the Prakrit word called ‘dakkhin’, which comes from the Sanskrit word ‘daksina’, which means ‘The South’. The Deccan Plateau is situated in the southern part of the Indo-Gangetic basin and extends over eight Indian States which are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala.

Source: Six Forest Staff Suspended For Negligence