Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS)

About Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (KWS)

• Location: It is a protected area in the Upper Gangetic plain in Uttar Pradesh and covers an area of 400.6 km2 in the Terai of the Bahraich district. 
• In 1987, it was brought under the purview of the ‘Project Tiger’, and together with the Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary and the Dudhwa National Park, it forms the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve.
• It provides strategic connectivity between the tiger habitats of Dudhwa and Kishanpur in India and the Bardia National Park in Nepal. 
• Vegetation: Its fragile Terai ecosystem comprises a mosaic of sal and teak forests, lush grasslands, numerous swamps, and wetlands.
• Flora: It is predominantly Sal Forest with its associate tree species like Terminalia alata (Asna), Lagerstroemia parviflora (Asidha), Adina cordifonia (Haldu), Mitragyna parpiflora (Faldu), Gamelina arborea (Gahmhar), etc.
• Fauna:
  • It is home to a number of endangered species, including the Gharial, tiger, rhino, swamp deer, hispid hare, Bengal florican, and white-backed and long-billed vultures.
  • The Gairwa River, which flows in the KWS area, is declared a sanctuary for Mugger and Gharial. It is also home to rare turtles, freshwater fish, and a host of aquatic life.
  • It is among the few places in India where freshwater dolphins, also known as Gangetic dolphins, are found in their natural habitat. 

Q1) What is the Terai Ecosystem?

Terai, or Tarai, is a lowland belt of flat, alluvial land stretching along the Nepal-India border and running parallel to the lower ranges of the Himalayas. A strip of undulating former marshland, it stretches from the Yamuna River in the west to the Brahmaputra River in the east. It is the northern extension of the Gangetic Plain in India, commencing at about 300 meters above sea level and rising to about 1,000 meters at the foot of the Siwalik Range.

Source: Watchman trampled to death by elephants near Uttar Pradesh's Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary