NEW DELHI: Indian government has notified the 56th Tiger Reserve of the country in Chhattisgarh today. Guru Ghasidas - Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve of Chhattisgarh is going to be the 3rd largest in the country.
In a statement, the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) said the Government of Chhattisgarh, on advice of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), notified the Guru Ghasidas - Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve across Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur, Korea, Surajpur and Balrampur districts of Chhattisgarh.
It encompasses a total area of 2829.38 sq. km, including a core tiger habitat of 2049.2 sq. km, comprising the Guru Ghasidas National Park and Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary, with a buffer of 780.15 sq. km.
The newly notified tiger reserve is contiguous with the Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh forming a landscape complex of nearly 4500 sq.km. Furthermore, the tiger reserve is connected to the Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh to the West and Palamau Tiger Reserve in Jharkhand to the East.
The NTCA had accorded final approval for notifying the Guru Ghasidas- Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve in October 2021.
The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, informed about the new tiger reserve notification on social media platform X.
"Let the roars get louder! As India continues to touch new milestones in tiger conservation, we have notified Guru Ghasidas-TamorPingla in Chhattisgarh as the 56th tiger reserve. Guru Ghasidas-TamorPingla Tiger Reserve is spread over 2,829 sq km," write Yadav on X.
Yadav congratulated people of Chhattisgarh where humans and animals coexist in harmony.
“India continues to work towards a green future where humans and animals cohabit in harmony. Congratulations, Chhattisgarh!,” Yadav further wrote.
After notification, Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve became the third largest tiger reserve in the country after Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve in Andhra Pradesh and Manas Tiger Reserve in Assam.
A total of 753 species, including 365 invertebrates and 388 vertebrates, have been documented from Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve by the Zoological Survey of India.