How Many Tiger Reserves Does Karnataka Have

Introduction

The tiger is a rare animal essential to an ecosystem's diversity and health. To preserve the balance between herbivores and the vegetation they consume, a top predator at the top of the food chain must control the population of wild animals. As a result, the existence of tigers in the forest is a sign of the ecosystem's health. This top predator's extinction is a signal that its natural habitat is being destroyed and protected, and it will not be able to survive for very long after the gross destruction of its habitat.

India's national animal, the tiger, is one of the most sought-after wildlife sightings in its jungles, which are home to more than half of the world's population of the feline. To preserve this magnificent forest dweller, Project Tiger, a conservation initiative, was started in 1972. Jim Corbett National Park and Tiger Reserve were the first of nine tiger reserves created to conserve the animal. About 50 reserves exist in the nation today, providing a rare chance to see the gorgeous tiger in the wilderness.

Explanation

The state of Karanataka currently has five tiger reserves Bandipur, Bhadra, Nagarahole, Dandeli-Anshi and BRT Tiger Reserves. Additionally, the state will get a new tiger reserve at MH hills.

Bandura Tiger Reserve

The Bhadra Tiger Reserve is located in the Western Ghat areas of Chikmagalur, N.R.Pura, Tarikere, and Bhadravathi Taluks in Chikmagalur District. The sanctuary, which is a portion of the Sahyadri hill ranges, acts as a physical barrier between the hinterland and the coastal regions. This has served to separate people for a very long time, protecting the coastal regions' wealth, culture, and customs from haphazard invasion by the powerful ruling polity of the plain area. Bhadra was designated as India's 25th Project Tiger Reserve. It is the first national tiger reserve to finish a successful village relocation program and a success story in wildlife protection.

BRT Tiger Reserve

The Biligirirangana Hills, also known as the B R Hills, are a hill range that separates the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in the southeast of the former's Erode District. Biligiriranganatha Swamy Temple Tiger Reserve, or simply BRT Tiger Reserve, is the name of the region. The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 designates it as a protected reserve. The Tiger Reserve is home to ecosystems exclusive to both the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats due to its location at the meeting point of these mountain ranges. The National Tiger Conservation Authority of India gave their permission before the Karnataka government designated the area as a tiger reserve in January 2011. The name "Biligiri" (Kannada for "white rock") of the Tiger Reserve is derived either from the white rock face that makes up the main hill topped with the temple of Lord Rangaswamy or from the white mist and silver clouds that cover these hills for a significant portion of the year.

Bandura Tiger Reserve

This National Park was created by incorporating the majority of the forest lands of the former Venugopala Wildlife Park, which was established according to a government notification dated February 19, 1941. In 1985, the territory was expanded and given the name Bandipur National Park. Project Tiger was introduced to this reserve in 1973. Later, many more neighbouring reserve forest lands were brought under the reserve, increasing its size to 880.02 square kilometres. 912.04 square kilometres area is presently under the management of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve. KFDC plantation land covering 39.80 square kilometres was transferred to this division in 2007–2008. The Nugu Wildlife Sanctuary was turned over to Mysore's Wildlife Division in 2010–2011.

The states of Karnataka (Bandipur-Nagarahole), Tamil Nadu (Mudumalai-Sathyamangalam), and Kerala are home to the Bandipur, Nagarahole, Wayanad, Mudumalai, and Sathyamangalam Tiger Landscape (Wayanad). is a good illustration of how to manage interstate tiger reserves for the long-term preservation of the tiger source population. A camera trap effort in Tamil Nadu's Segur plateau-Moyar Gorge-Sathyamangalam region in 2010–11 revealed the presence of tigers there as well as evidence of potential tigers moving from this area to the BRT Tiger Reserve and then on to the M.M. Hills & Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuaries. When compared to the All India Tiger Estimation Exercise in 2006, this landscape revealed an overall rise in tiger occupancy in 2010. The number of tigers on the Karnataka side (Bandipur, Nagarahole, M.M. Hills, BRT Tiger Reserves & Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary and adjacent forest) was estimated to be 231 (214-249) and to cover a territory of 4,460 sq km.

This Tiger population is not specific to Karnataka but is representative of the state as it borders Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu and Wayanad in Kerala and moves over state lines. With an estimated tiger population of roughly 382 (354-411), the Bandipur Tiger Reserve, together with Nagarahole, Mudumalai, Sathyamangalam, and Wayanad Landscape, is the source population in the Western Ghats landscape complex and is home to the biggest wild population of tigers in the world (Jhala et al, 2011).1/8th of the world's tiger population, or around 534 tigers (500–568), live in this landscape complex, which they occupy over an area of 21,435 km2, or 21 of the entire wooded area of the Western Ghats. This is a growth of 29.6 over the 2006 predictions of 412 tigers (India: Tiger Estimate 2010, Ministry of Environment and Forests).

Kali Tiger Reserve

The Uttara Kannada District of the state of Karnataka is home to the Kali Tiger Reserve. The Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka contains the Kali Tiger Reserve (KTR), which spans the taluks of Haliyal, Karwar, and Joida. Between latitudes 14° 57' 23.04" N and latitudes 15° 9' 56.16" N and 74° 43' 10.56" E are its latitude and longitude, respectively. The Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary and Anshi National Park, two significant protected sites in the area, are included in the Tiger Reserve. The combined protected area of Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary (475.018 sq km) and Anshi National Park (339.866 sq km) is situated in the biologically delicate Western Ghats. Administratively, these two protected regions are combined within Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve.

Nagarahole Tiger Reserve

The little river Nagarahole, which in Kannada means "Snake Stream," meanders intricately through the park before reaching the Kabini, inspired the name of the national park. It was renamed Rajiv Gandhi National Park in 1992 in honor of the late prime minister of India. It is located near the state of Kerala in the southern Indian state of Karnataka, namely in the districts of Mysore and Kodagu. The Park maintains a large number of different plant and animal species and is blessed with a mild climate and a variety of topographical features, making it a genuine paradise for animals. The announcement of a 285 sq. km. game reserve, which encompassed the reserve forests of Arkeri, Hatchet, and Nalkeri in Kodagu, predates the establishment of Nagarahole National Park. The Nagarahole Game Reserve was subsequently expanded in 1974 to include conserved woods from the neighbouring Mysore district. This area, which is 643.39 square kilometres, was upgraded to national park status in 1988.

Mh Hills

The Male Mahadeshwara (MM Hills) Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka's sixth and most anticipated tiger reserve, will open shortly after the winter session of the state legislature. The state Forest Department's and experts' long-overdue request is now beginning to take shape. The State Board for Wildlife approved it in 2018, and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) gave its approval in July. With a total area of 90,618.75 hectares, the MM Hills forests are large enough for the tiger population to flourish and are home to over 20 tigers and their cubs. The nearby tiger habitats, such as Satyamangalam Tiger Reserve and Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple, provide a productive source-sink landscape for the tiger and prey populations. It is also a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, which, according to all tiger census reports by the NTCA, has the highest tiger density. According to estimates made by the Forest Department in 2010, there are 5.05 elephants per sqm in the MM Hills, which is already a section of the Mysuru Elephant Reserve that has been notified. The Hanger Reserve Forest, Yediyarahalli Reserve Forest, and Male Mahadeshwara Reserve Forest, total 906.19 square kilometres (sq km) of the protected area.

Conclusion

The natural wildlife ecosystem would collapse if tigers went extinct. In Mauritius, for instance, one kind of acacia tree completely ceased to regenerate when the Dodo went extinct. Therefore, when a species disappears, it creates a scar that has an impact on the entire ecosystem. Our forests serve as water catchment areas, which is another reason why we need to safeguard the tiger. Consequently, it's not only about preserving a lovely animal. As forests are recognised to provide ecological services like clean air, water, pollination, temperature regulation, etc., it is about ensuring that human well-being is preserved.