Rajasthan gets fifth tiger reserve as NTCA gives nod to Dholpur-Karauli reserve

Rajasthan will have its fifth tiger reserve as National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has accorded its approval to Dholpur-Karauli Reserve.

New Delhi [India] August 22 (ANI) Rajasthan has acquired its fifth tiger reserve as National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) gave its final approval to Dholpur-Karauli Reserve, Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav announced on Tuesday. Yadav termed it a 'giant leap' for wildlife conservation in Rajasthan.

"Happy to announce that the state has got yet another Tiger Reserve. The Dholpur-Karauli Tiger Reserve has been accorded the final approval by @ntca_india. Let's pledge to safeguard this precious ecosystem and its majestic tigers," posted Bhupender Yadav on X. The Karauli-Sarmathura-Dholpur sanctuary in Rajasthan has been officially designated areas as Dholpur-Karauli Tiger Reserve (DTR).

The new tiger reserve will span 1,058 sq km, including 368 sq km of core area and 690 sq km of buffer area. The forest areas designated to be declared as a tiger reserve currently have nine tigers. Until now there were four tiger reserves in Rajasthan: Ramgarh Vishdhari Tiger Reserve, Mukandra Hills Tiger Reserve, Ranthambore Tiger Reserve and Sariska Tiger Reserve.

Tiger reserves are constituted using a core and buffer method. The core area is legally designated as a national park or a sanctuary. In contrast, the buffer or peripheral areas are a mix of forest and non-forest land, which is maintained as a mixed-use area.

In the core sections of tiger reserves, Project Tiger attempts to promote an exclusive tiger agenda while promoting an inclusive people-oriented agenda in the buffer. Until now, there were a total of 53 tiger reserves in India.

The Government of India began the conservation of the national animal, tiger, by introducing "Project Tiger" in 1973. Since its inception, Project Tiger has expanded its coverage to 53 tiger reserves across 18 of our tiger range states covering a total area of 75,796.83 sq km.

This equates to approximately 2.3 per cent of India's geographical area. As per the recent report on "Status of Tigers 2022" released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April, the minimum number of tigers has increased to 3,167. (ANI)

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