Explanation:

The forest department of Rajasthan has started work on notifying the Karauli-Sarmathura-Dholpur sanctuary areas as a Tiger Reserve.

This will be the fifth tiger reserve in the state of Rajasthan.

The forest areas, proposed to be declared as tiger reserve, house nine tigers and an upgrade in the status is expected to strengthen the ongoing tiger conservation efforts in the state.

The official notification in this regard will enable department make concerted efforts for much needed development of eco system in this area. As per the preliminary proposal, the tiger reserve will be 1,058 sq km, including 368 sq km core and 690 sq km buffer.

Out of the total proposed core area, 197 sq km is falling under Karauli district and 170 sq km falls under Dholpur district.

The small portion of forest block falling in Bharatpur district has also been incorporated in the proposed tiger reserve.

After examining the proposal, the forest department will forward it to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for its final nod. Once the process has been started, it takes  at least one year to complete the procedure.