SAHYADRI TIGER RESERVE (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Eco and Env)

Context: The Maharashtra forest department is gearing up for translocation of a few tigers from the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur to Sahyadri, the lone tiger reserve in the state’s western region.

Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR)

• Located: STR straddles Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli and Ratnagiri districts in western Maharashtra. 
• Area:  1,165 sq km.
• Notified by: In 2010 by amalgamating the Chandoli national park and Koyna wildlife sanctuary.
• Habitat: The habitat of Sahyadri is composed of woodlands, grasslands and plateau, the latter locally referred to as “Sadaa”, which are lateritic in nature with considerable habitat value.
• Significance: The STR is one of only five tiger reserves in the country — Kaval in Telangana, Kamlang in Arunachal Pradesh, Dampa in Mizoram and Satkosia in Odisha being the other four with zero tigers within the reserve and the translocation is part of a long-term plan to revive the population of the big cats in the northern Western Ghats forests.

Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve

• Location: Situated in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra.
• Origin of Name: Derived from the God "Tadoba" or "Taru," revered by local tribes in the Tadoba and Andhari regions. "Andhari" denotes the Andhari River flowing through the forest.
• Total Area: Encompasses 625.4 sq. KM, comprising Tadoba National Park (116.55 sq. KM) and Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary (508.85 sq. KM).
• Corridor Connections: Connected through corridors to Nagzira-Navegaon and Pench Tiger Reserves within the State.
• Habitat: Biogeographically located in the Central plateau province of the Deccan peninsula, featuring tropical dry deciduous forests and a distinctive Central Indian faunal assemblage.