Context: According to the recently released ‘EnviStats India-2024’ report, the Nagarjuna Sagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) has been ranked first among India’s 55 tiger reserves for its leopard population, with an estimated 360 leopards. 

Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve

• Location:

• It lies within the Nallamala Hills of the Eastern Ghats.

• It includes five districts of Andhra Pradesh, namely Prakasam, Kurnool, Guntur, and Mahbubnagar.

• It spreads over an approximate area of about 3,568 square kilometers.

• It is named after two major dams in the area, Nagarjuna Sagar Dam and Srisailam Dam.

• Geographical Features:

• Varied land; rugged hills, deep valleys, and dense forests.

• It is a part of the Srisailam-Nagarjunasagar-Kurnool forest belt.

• Two wildlife sanctuaries, namely Rajiv Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and Gundla Brahmeswaram Wildlife Sanctuary (GBM), constitute the NSTR.

• The Krishna River passes through the reserve, and, therefore it will involve all kinds of its own unique ecosystem.

• Flora

• Tropical and dry deciduous forests.

• Dominated by teak, terminalia, bamboo, and other native species.

• Rich in medicinal plants and herbs.

• Fauna:

• Has a large population of Bengal tigers.

• Other mammals:

• Indian leopard

• Sloth bear

• Dhole (Indian wild dog)

• Indian pangolin

• Chital (spotted deer)

• Sambar deer

• Nilgai (blue bull)

• Four-horned antelope

• Indian giant squirrel

• Birds:

• More than 350 species have been recorded.

• It comprises the grey junglefowl, painted spurfowl and even the critically endangered white-rumped vulture.

• Reptiles: Indian python, Mugger crocodile, Bengal monitor and Star tortoise

Conservation

• It has been declared a Tiger Reserve under Project Tiger way back in 1983. It is also declared a part of the Srisailam-Nagarjunasagar-Kurnool Biosphere Reserve. Conserving efforts are going on continuously in the wild to preserve the Bengal tiger along with its habitats.