Another Tiger Reserve to come up in Maharashtra

December 2, 2013

Maharashtra will have its fifth tiger reserve in Nagzira as the National Tiger Conservation Authority has given nod to the development of the conservation zone. The tiger reserve will be set up between Bhandara and Gondia districts.
The Nagzira-Navegaon tiger reserve will be established to conserve tigers wandering outside the Tadoba reserve territory. The Nagzira sanctuary, which was of 150 square kilometer and the Navegaon National Park, was of 130 square kilometer, which has been increased to 700 square kilometer to form a new tiger reserve.

Where are the other four tiger reserves in Maharashtra?

The other four tiger reserves in Maharashtra are in:

Melghat
Tadoba
Pench
Sahyadri

About National Tiger Conservation Authority:

The Centrally Sponsored Scheme “Project Tiger” was launched in April, 1973 with the objective “to ensure maintenance of a viable population of Tigers in India for scientific, economic, aesthetic, cultural and ecological values, and to preserve for all times, areas of biological importance as a national heritage for the benefit, education and enjoyment of the people.”
The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 was amended keeping in view the needs of the Project Tiger for providing enabling provisions for constitution of the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Tiger and Other Endangered Species Crime Control Bureau.
So, the National Tiger Conservation Authority was constituted from September 4, 2006 to strengthen tiger conservation. The functions are as follows:

Ensuring normative standards in tiger reserve management
Preparation of reserve specific tiger conservation plan
Lay down annual/ audit report before Parliament
Instituting State level Steering Committees under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister and establishment of Tiger Conservation Foundation.
According approval for declaring new Tiger Reserves.

The NTCA has constituted a multidisciplinary Tiger and Other Endangered Species Crime Control Bureau (Wildlife Crime Control Bureau) with effect from 6.6.2007. The WCCB comprises the officers from Police, Forest, Customs and other enforcement agencies to effectively control illegal trade in wildlife.

Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF)

The announcement for creation of Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) was announced by the Finance Minister in Budget speech of 2008. A onetime grant of Rs. 50 Crore was provided to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) for raising, arming and deploying a Special Tiger Protection Force for 13 tiger reserves. The rest of the reserves were taken up later.

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