Recently, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change announced the Guru 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’s third largest tiger reserve, following Nagarjunasagar–Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh and Manas Tiger 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.
- Rivers: Pingla River, Banas River, Bijaur Nala
- Fauna: Tiger, Leopard, Bluebell, Chinkara, Sambar, Four-horned Antelope, Spotted Deer (Cheetal), Sloth Bear, Red-headed Vulture, Wild Buffalo, Gaur, Hyena, Pintails, Rollers, Herons, Cobras, Pythons, Monitor Lizard etc.