VISAKHAPATNAM: The Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR), Andhra Pradesh’s only tiger reserve, has 4,700 families across 17 villages continuing to live within its notified Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH), making it one of the tiger reserves with the highest number of families yet to be relocated, according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s (NTCA) latest STRIDES report.
Among tiger reserves in the country, Amrabad Tiger Reserve in neighbouring Telangana, with 20,435 families in 61 villages, reported the highest number of families residing within the core habitat. NSTR ranked fifth nationally, after Amrabad, Veerangana Durgavati, Ranthambore and Sanjay-Dubri.
The report, Status of Tiger Reserves: Infrastructure, Development, Ecological & Social Parameters (STRIDES), states that no villages or families have been relocated from NSTR’s core area so far.
It also notes that there are no pending claims under the Forest Rights Act (FRA) within the reserve.
NSTR is among the 29 tiger reserves in the country where the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) has been formally notified.
The report points to several institutional and infrastructure-related challenges. NSTR is among a small group of tiger reserves where Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Eco-Development Committees (EDCs) and Village Forest Committees (VFCs) are not functional. It is also among 37 tiger reserves that do not have a Kendriya Vidyalaya or Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in or around the reserve, and among 36 reserves without schools having Eco-Clubs.
The assessment identifies the proposed National Highway upgradation passing through the reserve as a potential habitat fragmentation issue. It notes that an action plan has been submitted and is awaiting approval.
The report also lists railway lines passing through the reserve, including the Gajulapalli-Bogada and Diguvametta-Bogada sections. Mitigation measures such as wildlife underpasses, fencing and alarm systems have been proposed to reduce wildlife mortality and improve habitat connectivity.
Among the major invasive plant species recorded in the reserve are Lantana camara, Prosopis juliflora, Parthenium hysterophorus, Chromolaena species and Cassia tora. The report states that annual weed removal is being undertaken to manage their spread.
NSTR has also identified suitable fringe forest areas for implementation of the Green Credit Programme, a Union government initiative aimed at promoting afforestation and ecological restoration outside protected areas through voluntary participation by government agencies, public sector undertakings and private organisations.
The STRIDES report provides a nationwide assessment of infrastructure, ecological conditions, development pressures and social parameters across tiger reserves to support evidence-based conservation planning and management.
