Context: The Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh has been officially notified as the 56th tiger reserve in India, spanning 2,829 sq.kms.

• This makes it the third largest tiger reserve after Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam TR (A.P) and Manas TR (Assam), bolstering tiger conservation efforts in the region.

Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve

• Location: Chhattisgarh, covering Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur, Korea, Surajpur, and Balrampur districts.

• Size: 2,829.38 sq.kms, making it the 3rd largest tiger reserve in India.

• Core Area: 2,049.2 sq.kms, including Guru Ghasidas National Park and Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary.

• Buffer Zone: 780.15 sq.kms.

• Rivers: Hasdeo Gopad, Baranga etc. 

• Adopts Landscape approach to conservation: As envisaged in the National Wildlife Action Plan (2017-31), the TR is contiguous with the Sanjay Dubri TR (MP), and connected with Bandhavgarh TR (MP) and Palamau TR (Jharkhand)

• Connected Reserves: Part of a landscape complex with Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh), and links to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve (West) and Palamau Tiger Reserve (East).

• Fauna: 753 species documented, including 230 bird species and 55 mammal species, with many threatened species.

About Landscape approach to tiger conservation

• It involves viewing protected areas as a network of populations interconnected to each other through corridors to support viable tiger populations.

• Interconnected populations are referred to as meta-populations.

• Significance: Habitat connectivity, gene flow, reducing inbreeding depression, avoiding translocation etc.     

About Tiger Reserves

• Definition: Tiger reserves are protected areas established for the conservation of tigers and their habitats.

• Management: Managed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in India.

• Core and Buffer Zones: Core zones are strictly protected; buffer zones allow limited human activity.

• Legal Framework: Governed by the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and the NTCA guidelines.

• Ecological Importance: They help maintain ecological balance by protecting various species and forest ecosystems.

• Tourism: Some reserves promote eco-tourism, supporting local economies while ensuring wildlife protection.

• Examples: Jim Corbett, Sundarbans, and Ranthambhore are prominent tiger reserves in India.