The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) on 22 August 2023 approved the proposal to create tiger reserves in Karauli and Dholpur districts of Rajasthan. With this, the Dholpur-Karauli Tiger Reserve has become the 54th sanctuary in the country dedicated to tigers. It is the fifth tiger reserve in Rajasthan after Ranthambore, Sariska, Mukundra Hills and Ramgarh Vishdhari. Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Singh wrote on the social media website ‘X’ that the NTCA has given final approval to the Dholpur-Karauli Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan.
Tiger Sanctuary / Tiger Reserve
- Tiger reserve is called a national park or wildlife sanctuary, which has been reserved to preserve and increase their number in view of the continuous decline in the number of tigers.
- The main reasons for the continuous decline in the number of tigers all over the world are poaching, conflict between humans and animals, the war of supremacy between tigers in the forest and the lack of availability of food for tigers.
How do tigers help the environment
- As apex predators, wild tigers play a vital role in maintaining the harmony of the planet’s ecosystems.
- By hunting herbivores, tigers help maintain a balance between the animals they hunt and the vegetation of the forest on which they feed.
- The tiger is the largest consumer in the ecological pyramid and food chain. A large amount of food and good forest are necessary for the tiger.
- In this way, by protecting the tiger, we protect the entire ecosystem and ecology.
Project tiger
- Project Tiger was initiated in the year 1973 by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
- Kailash Sankhala, a renowned zoologist of the country, was appointed as the first director of the programme.
- Under this programme, central assistance is provided to tiger population states for conservation of tigers.
- At the time of the launch of Project Tiger in the year 1973, there were only 9 Tiger Reserves in the country, at present the total number of Tiger Reserves in the country has increased to 54.