Madhav National Park as India’s 58th tiger reserve

Context

Recently, Madhav National Park in Madhya Pradesh has been designated as India’s 58th tiger reserve. With this, Madhya Pradesh now has 9 tiger reserves, the highest among all states. In assessment, Maharashtra has 6, whilst Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka have 5 each.

Significance of Madhav National Park

• • Notified as a National Park in 1956 under the MP National Parks Act, 1955 with an area of 165.32 square km.
  • Now accelerated to 355 sq.Km core area with a buffer sector of 4-6 sq.Km.
  • Until 2023, there were no tigers; a male and two females had been relocated, leading to a population increase to 7.

• Ecological & Strategic Importance

• • Functions as a key flora and fauna hall linking the Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (Rajasthan) and Kuno National Park.
  • Kuno hosts a captive cheetah populace, raising issues about predator competition for prey (deer population).
  • Madhya Pradesh leads India in tiger conservation with 785 tigers, but the Kuno-Madhav department has traditionally been omitted.
  • Consolidated natural world management now specializes in both tigers and cheetahs in the area.

Rationale Behind Setting Up Tiger Reserves

• Decline in Tiger Population

• • • Tigers were once abundant in India, with an predicted 40,000 tigers in the early 20th century. However, due to looking, poaching, deforestation, and colonial wooden exploitation, their numbers declined sharply.

• Conservation Efforts Begin

• • • Recognizing the disaster, naturalists raised alarms, leading to the Indian Board for Wild Life (IBWL) recommending a ban on wild cat skin exports in 1969.

• Launch of Project Tiger (1973)

• • With tiger numbers plummeting to at least 1,863, the then PM Indira Gandhi set up an 11-member Task Force to plot a conservation strategy.

Key Aspects of Establishing a Tiger Reserve

• Scientific Management Framework

• • • Project Tiger, later changed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in 2006, introduced a based approach to coping with covered areas.
    • Every tiger reserve has to follow a site-specific management plan, ensuring scientific conservation practices.

• Core and Buffer Zones

• • • Core Zone – Strictly covered habitat for tigers and flora and fauna.
    • Buffer Zone – Surrounding place with regulated human activities to aid conservation efforts.

• Process of Declaring a Tiger Reserve

• • • The State Government submits a suggestion to the Centre.
    • NTCA evaluates and recommends the suggestion.
    • The State Government officially notifies the area as a tiger reserve.
    • This based manner guarantees the long-term conservation and sustainability of tiger populations in India.

Funding Mechanism for Tiger Reserves

• Centre-State Cost Sharing

• • General States: 60% of the investment is furnished by the Central Government, at the same time as the last 40% is borne by the State Government.
  • Northeastern & Himalayan States: The Centre covers 90% of the cost, with States contributing 10%.

Source: The Indian Express

UPSC Prelims Practice Question

Q. Consider the following protected areas: (2012)

1. Bandipur
2. Bhitarkanika
3. Manas
4. Sunderbans

Which of the above are declared Tiger Reserves?

(a) 1 and 2 only 

(b) 1, 3 and 4 only 

(c) 2, 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Ans: (b)

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