Recently, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change announced theGuru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh as the 56th Tiger Reserve in India.
The reserve is located in the Chota Nagpur and Baghelkhand plateaus, with diverse terrain, forests, rivers and streams that support a wide variety of wildlife.
This will be the fourth tiger reserve in the state after Indravati (in Bijapur district), Udanti-Sitanadi (Gariaband) and Achanakmar (Mungeli).
This reserve covers 2,829 square kilometers and is located across several districts in Chhattisgarh, including Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur, Koriya, Surajpur and Balrampur.
This makes it India’sthird largest tiger reserve, following Nagarjunasagar–Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh and ManasTiger Reserve in Assam.
The reserve is made up of two main areas: the Guru Ghasidas National Park and the Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary.
The Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve is part of the Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, creating an area of nearly 4,500 sq km.
It is linked to Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh and Palamau Tiger Reserve in Jharkhand to the East.
The Zoological Survey of India has recorded 753 species in the reserve, including 230 bird species and 55 mammal species, many of which are threatened.
Vegetation: Moist deciduous with moderately dense forest
Key Flora: Teak, Sal, Gurjan, Palas, Tendu, Mahua etc.
