Project tiger reserves in the state
* There are four tiger projects in the state--- Melghat, Tadoba, Pench (all in Vidarbha) and Sahyadri (Western Maharashtra).
* The Melghat, the oldest tiger project in the state, is located on southern offshoot of Satpura Hill Range in Amravati district with an area of 1676.49 sq kms. It is the home of around 45 tigers.
* Tadoba (Chandrapur district) is spread over 623 sq kms of high hills and lush valleys and under dense teak and bamboo forests. The reserve is also a home for rare wildlife, like wild dogs, leopards, and sloth bear, and baison, hyena and jungle cats, along with a population of around 46 tigers.
* In Pench tiger reserves, bordering Madhya Pradesh, is located at a distance of 70 kms from Nagpur and home for around 20 tigers.
* Sahyadri, the new tiger project of the state was set up by including Chandoli Natonal Park and Koyana Wildlife Sanctuary of western Maharashtra. The reserves spread over an area of 741.22 sq kms. It houses an appreciable variety of bird and animal life, including nine tigers and 66 leopards.
Tadoba Tiger Reserve
The Tadoba Tiger Reserve renowned for its natural heritage, is gifted with rich biodiversity. Sprawling over an area of 625.40 sq km, this distinctive eco-system is positioned in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra.
Tadoba Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra is one of the Project Tiger Reserves in India. The prime purpose of forming the Tadoba Tiger Reserve was protection and conservation of tigers. The sanctuary, set up in the year 1995, is the second Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra.
The land vegetation of Tadoba Tiger Reserve is Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest. The sanctuary is home to several species of flora such as Teak, Ain, Bija, Dhauda, Haldu, Salai, Semal, Tendu and bamboo.
There are a plethora of animals at Tadoba Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. Apart from tiger, the various species of fauna spotted in the sanctuary are Leopard, Sloth Bear, Gaur, Rusty Spotted Cat, Ratel, Indian mouse deer, Spotted deer, Sambar, Wild Boar, Four-horned antelope, Wild dog, Flying Squirrel, etc.
Special Projects
The study of regeneration status of different plant species .
The crop composition in the Tadoba-andhari Tiger Reserve .
Eco-development
Under the Maharashtra Forestry Project funded by the World Bank, ecodevelopment activities have been taken up in ten villages situated on the periphery of the Reserve.
Village Forest Protection Committees
No village Forest Protection Committee has been formed. However, the village Eco-development Executive Committees have a reciprocal agreement with the Reserve management for protection of the Reserve in lieu of the village ecodevelopment inputs received.
Education and Awareness
In the Tadoba-andhari Tiger Reserve on the eve of the Wildlife Week children up to high school standard from nearby villages and town are brought by Reserve bus to Tadoba and given environment and wildlife education and quiz tests are organised.No village Forest Protection Committee has been formed. However, the village Eco-development Executive Committees have a reciprocal agreement with the Reserve management for protection of the Reserve in lieu of the village ecodevelopment inputs received.
Education and Awareness
Melghat Tiger Reserve
Melghat tiger reserve is located in Amravati district in Central India. It is 25 km from Chikaldhara a hill resort in the south Satpura range also known as Gavilgarh Hills. It is 760 km north east of Mumbai and 225 km west of Nagpur. This reserve has 80 tigers which are spread over 1,674 sq km of vast area. They live mostly in the inner parts of the reserve which are hardly accessible.Melghat tiger reserve was established as wildlife sanctuary in 1967 and was declared as Tiger reserve in 1974. Its rugged terrain and rocky ravines provide natural protection from the poachers. River Tapi is the northern boundary of the reserve. One can see tigers, sloth bear and flying squirrels apart from monkeys and other fauna. The reserve is home to 2,000 gaur the second largest in India. Melghat is stunning with natural scenic beauty.
Recent News
Agitation against tiger project turns ugly in Satara
Published: Wednesday, Jan 5, 2011, 11:32 ISTBy DNA Correspondent | Place: Satara (Maharashtra) | Agency: DNA
The protest march by villagers against the Sahyadri Tiger Project took an ugly turn on Monday evening when angry villagers pelted stones on the forest department (wildlife) office in Patan in Satara district.
The villagers were agitating against the Sahyadri Tiger Project, which was initiated last year by combining the Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary and Chandoli National Park.
Project tiger gets Rs 150 crore grant
Here's some good news for Vidarbha's two tiger reserves -Melghat and Tadoba! The Union government has decided to release Rs 150-crore grant to relocate villages in the tiger reserves. The state government had sought the assistance to free animals from human interference. The grant would enable the
state's wildlife wing to relocate 16 villages of Melghat and five villages of Tadoba.As per the financial package, the villagers are either provided Rs 10 lakh per family or a piece of land for their rehabilitation, a process being overseen by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) heading the Tiger Project.