RAIPUR: In a challenging forested terrain earlier plagued by Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), rugged geography, and limited communication networks, Chhattisgarh's Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR) has strengthened wildlife conservation and secured the vast landscape using high-tech measures.
Moving away from traditional, reactive foot patrols, USTR has successfully pioneered a multi-dimensional, intelligence-led enforcement model that expands wildlife protection into a holistic framework known as "Landscape Security”.
Operating across the dense forests of Chhattisgarh and its sensitive border areas with Odisha and Maharashtra, USTR field teams have integrated modern technology, intelligence gathering, and cross-border law enforcementto dismantle organised crime networks spanning poaching, illegal arms manufacturing, narcotics trafficking, timber smuggling, and land encroachment.
“In a notable victory for ecological restoration, USTR has successfully reclaimed 956 hectares of encroached forest land. Departing from traditional field surveys, the reserve turned anti-encroachment actions into forensic-level digital investigations. Using high-resolution satellite imagery from the National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC/ISRO), drone mapping, GPS surveys, and digital evidence, authorities established precise historical timelines of illegal human occupation to reclaim vital wild habitats,” Varun Jain (IFS), Deputy Director-USTR, told TNIE.
USTR’s operational shift focused on destroying entire criminal syndicates instead of just capturing individual poachers. USTR has apprehended over 400 poachers and wildlife offenders across Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra and busted illegal arms networks. Massive seizures include wildlife skins, bones, claws, teeth, as well as firearms and specialised hunting snares.
The Tiger Reserve’s comprehensive operational measure covered various interconnected enforcement domains, safeguarding both ecological resources and regional safety.
Executing these exercises required forest personnel to venture deep to LWE-affected zones with minimal road connectivity or cellular signal. By forming specialised protection units, establishing local intelligence networks, and maintaining seamless coordination with state police forces and neighbouring state forest departments, USTR corroborated that modern conservation requires the capabilities of an advanced enforcement agency.
Protection in Udanti-Sitanadi Reserve has seamlessly evolved from saving individual wildlife species into securing the entire forest landscape. The model emerged as a national benchmark for managing protected areas in complex, high-risk environments.
Enforcement Domain Major Achievements
956 hectares of forest land reclaimed using ISRO/NRSC satellite and drone evidence.
Anti-Poaching: 400+ offenders apprehended; interstate poaching, trafficking networks dismantled.
Anti-Narcotics: 129 kg of cannabis intercepted at forest checkposts, prosecution under the NDPS Act.
Anti-Illegal Arms: illegal gun-manufacturing networks detected in border regions.
Anti-explosives syndicates busted.
Anti-timber smuggling interstate syndicates ("Pushpa" gangs) targeted; concealed timber recovered from underwater ponds and residences.
