- Bandipur completes 50 years as Project Tiger reserve.
- It was on聽April 1, 1973, that the then Prime Minister聽Indira Gandhi聽launched Project Tiger,聽the flagship conservation programme to arrest the big cat鈥檚 dwindling population.
- There were聽12 tigers聽in Bandipur when Project Tiger was launched and now the number of聽tigers utilising the park聽is聽173聽while the number of tigers聽within the reserve聽has been pegged at聽126聽as per the 鈥楽tatus of Tigers Co-predators and Prey in India, 2018鈥櫬爌ublished by the聽National Tiger Conservation Authority.
Historical conservation:
- Much before the Wildlife Conservation Act, 1972, was passed, the erstwhile聽rulers of Mysuru聽had realised the imperatives of conserving the flora and fauna.
- Several聽forest areas聽were not only聽preserved as Game Reserves聽but聽Tiger Blocks聽were identified and聽restrictions聽imposed on shooting.
- In聽1941, the聽Venugopal Wildlife Park聽was constituted extending over 800 sq km of which 82 sq. miles was聽known as聽Bandipur Sanctuary聽within the park.
- The聽boundary聽extended聽from Moyar river聽forming the southern border聽towards the Nilgiris, and northwards, it stretched till聽Gundlupet聽including the 1,450m-high聽Himavad Gopalswamy Betta.
- The park was named after聽Venugopala, the聽deity at the temple聽atop the hill.
Project Tiger:
- Project Tiger was first聽initiated聽in the year聽April 1, 1973聽to聽save the聽Royal Bengal Tigers.
- It was launched in聽Jim Corbett National Park, Uttrakhand.
- The聽Centre funds tiger range States聽and in-situ conservation in some chosen reserves.
- The reserves have been created on a聽core and buffer structure, where the聽core聽is for聽tiger-centric activities聽and the聽buffer聽is for聽humans聽on the聽fringes of the forest.
- A聽GPS-based聽law enforcement and ecological聽monitoring tool,聽M-STrIPES聽(Monitoring System for Tigers- Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) was聽launched in 2010.
- It is helping聽create a database聽of individual tigers so that seized body parts can be traced to the tigers they belong to.
Cause of their depletion:
- The major cause of their depletion is聽humans (poaching, habitat loss), and so聽all the conservation areas are made human free.
- Human interference聽in any of the reserves and forests is聽not allowed.
Success of the project:
- Project Tiger has been successful in聽increasing聽the population of the tigers.
- The number has increased from聽1200 to around 5000.
- India accounts for聽70 per cent of the world鈥檚 tigers
Extent of the project:
There are around聽fifty national parks聽and聽sanctuaries聽that are involved in this project.
- Recent additions聽to this project are are:
- Ratapani Tiger Reserve(Madhya Pradesh),
- Sunabeda Tiger Reserve聽(Odisha), and
- Guru Ghasidas聽(Chhattisgarh).
- Conservation status:
- IUCN聽–聽Endangered
- Schedule 1聽of the聽Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
聽How Project Tiger helped in protecting other wild species?
- After seeing the success of Project Tiger, the government聽updated the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
- This made sure that聽along with tigers,聽other wildlife also gets protected.
- One by one, every national park took an聽initiative to save endangered species.
- For, e.g.:聽Gir聽conserves聽lions, and聽Kaziranga聽conserves聽one-horned rhinos.
- Eventually, the聽population聽of many animals聽started increasing.
聽Conclusion:
- Project Tiger has been聽undertaken by more than fifty national聽parks, and every park is putting an聽equal effort聽to save the endangered species.
- Increasing four thousand tigers聽in the past few years is one of the聽landmark achievement聽of the project.
- People聽have become聽more aware聽of the wildlife problem and have taken steps to stop them from decreasing.
- Project Tiger also聽generated jobs聽for many individuals.
| 聽Bandipur Tiger Reserve
路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Bandipur National Park in聽Karnataka聽was established as a聽tiger reserve under Project Tiger聽in聽1973. 路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 It is part of the聽Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve聽since聽1986. 路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The聽Maharaja of the Kingdom of Mysore聽created a聽sanctuary聽in聽1931聽and named it the聽Venugopala Wildlife Park. 路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The Bandipur Tiger Reserve was established under Project Tiger in 1973 by聽adding much more area to the Venugopala Wildlife park. 路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Bandipur National Park is located where the聽Deccan Plateau meets the Western Ghats. As a result, the park has a聽variety of biomes聽including: 路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 dry deciduous forests, 路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 moist deciduous forests and 路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 shrublands. 路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The park is flanked by the聽Kabini river聽in the north and the聽Moyar聽in the south. 路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The聽Nugu river聽runs through the park. 路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 The聽highest point聽in the park is on a hill called聽Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta. 路聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Bandipur has a聽tropical climate聽with distinct聽wet and dry seasons. Fauna: The聽Asian elephant, gaur, Bengal tiger, sloth bear, four-horned antelope, golden jackal and dhole. |
SOURCE: THE HINDU, THE ECONOMIC TIMES, PIB