Context: Ramgarh Vishdhari Wildlife Sanctuary is now notified as a tiger reserve after a nod by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC).

• It is Rajasthan’s 4th tiger reserve after Ranthambore, Sariska and Mukundra.

Significance

• This corridor will give tigers a bigger area to move around and control the overpopulation, and hence territorial fights, in Ranthambore.
• This has brought a huge area of the state under a continuous patch of connected and protected forests and should solve the overpopulation problem of Ranthambore as tigers will be able to migrate to Mukundara and Ramgarh Vishadhri more easily now.
• The move will not only help protect an important wildlife corridor; it will also aid in habitat improvement for other animals.

Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve

• Ramgarh Vishadhri, located mostly in Bundi district and in part in Bhilwara and Kota districts.
• It acts like a buffer for Ranthambore National Park, one of the most famous wildlife sanctuaries in India.
• Flora: Dhok (Angoeissus pendula), Khair (Acacia catechu), Salar (Boswellia serrata) Khirni (Manilkara hexandra) trees with some Mango and Ber trees.
• Fauna: Indian Wolf, Leopard, Striped Hyena, Sloth Bear, Golden Jackal, Chinkara, Nilgai & Fox.
• The reserve will be spread in an area of 1,501.89 sq km.
• The area has been called ‘critical’ for the movement of tigers by wildlife experts and conservationists.
• Though the tiger population in Ramgarh itself was not high, it plays an important role in connecting the Ranthambore and Mukundra Tiger Reserves of Rajasthan.