Bundelkhand to get its first tiger reserve: All you need to know

As part of its efforts to conserve tigers, the Uttar Pradesh government has approved the establishment of the first tiger reserve in Bundelkhand's Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary.

Here are the dimensions of the reserve: 

How? All this comes after a meeting chaired by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his Cabinet on Tuesday, September 28. They also approved notifying Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.  

With this new tiger reserve, the total number of tiger reserves in UP will go up to four.

The other three tiger reserves are: 

• Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Lakhimpur
• Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in Pilibhit
• Amangarh Tiger Reserve (a buffer zone of Corbett Tiger Reserve) in Bijnor 

What else? The Cabinet has also decided to establish a Ranipur Tiger Conservation Foundation for the Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary along with sanctioning requisite posts.

The Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary, which will now also be a Tiger Reserve, is covered by northern tropical dry deciduous forests and is home to the tiger, leopard, bear, spotted deer, sambhar, chinkara, reptiles and other mammals. 

It will be a turning point for wildlife conservation in Bundelkhand along with utilising the eco-tourism potential of the area, creating immense employment opportunities for locals, according to the officials.

A critical decision to strengthen the fight to save our tiger population along with the conservation of our wildlife and forest land. The local population will also benefit from the eco tourism opportunities this will generate. #RanipurTigerReserve #Bundelkhand pic.twitter.com/sheyh3ZBr9

— Jitin Prasada जितिन प्रसाद (@JitinPrasada) September 28, 2022

The bigger picture: The tiger reserves of India were set up in 1973 and are governed by Project Tiger, which is administrated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority. Until now, India has a total of 53 protected areas that have been designated tiger reserves. 

Check out the map for all the tiger reserves in India: 

And here's the list of all 53 tiger reserves in the country (till May 2022):

1. Nagarjunsagar Srisailam 
2. Namdapha
3. Kamlang Tiger Reserve
4. Pakke
5. Manas
6. Nameri
7. Orang Tiger Reserve
8. Kaziranga
9. Valmiki
10. Udanti-Sitanadi
11. Achanakmar
12. Indravati
13. Palamau
14. Bandipur
15. Bhadra
16. Dandeli-Anshi
17. Nagarahole
18. Biligiri Ranganatha Temple
19. Periyar
20. Parambikulam
21. Kanha
22. Pench
23. Bandhavgarh
24. Panna
25. Satpura
26. Sanjay-Dubri
27. Melghat
28. Tadoba-Andhari
29. Pench
30. Sahyadri
31. Nawegaon-Nagzira
32. Bor
33. Dampa
34. Similipal
35. Satkosia
36. Ranthambore
37. Sariska
38. Mukandra Hills
39. Kalakad-Mundanthurai
40. Anamalai
41. Mudumalai
42. Sathyamangalam
43. Kawal
44. Amrabad
45. Dudhwa
46. Pilibhit
47. Corbett
48. Rajaji TR
49. Sunderbans
50. Buxa
51. Srivilliputhur Megamalai
52. Ramgarh Vishdhari Wildlife Sanctuary
53. Guru Ghasidas National Park (Sanjay National Park)