Sundarban Tiger Reserve set to become bigger
The NTCA has green-signalled a proposal to increase the area of the Sundarban Tiger Reserve (STR) by approximately 40 per cent, which will result in the tigers living outside the reserve’s core area to be included in it, thus making the management of STR much easier.
After the good news of the tiger count at Sundarban Tiger Reserve (STR) reaching a century, comes another good news: The only habitat in the world where tigers live in mangrove forests is set to become bigger.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the parent body of Project Tiger, which looks after the tiger reserves in the country, has cleared a proposal to increase the area of STR from around 2,500 sq km to over 3,500 sq km.
The three tiger ranges of Matla, Raidighi and Ramganga in the South 24 Parganas forest division will be added to the reserve to increase its area.
Around a third of the tigers in the mangrove delta live outside the reserve area, according to forest officials’ estimates, with some pinning it to around 30, and hence, the addition of the three forest ranges will make the management of tiger conservation easier.
At present, the Sundarban Tiger Reserve comprises the Sundarbans National Park (East and West) as the core area, and the Sajnekhali Wildlife Sanctuary and Basirhat Forest Range as the buffer zones.
