Important Facts For Prelims
Melghat Tiger Reserve
- 16 Jul 2020
- 2 min read
Why in News
The Chief Minister of Maharashtra has requested the Union government for considering an alternative alignment for the Akola-Khandwa rail line that passes through the Melghat Tiger Reserve.
Key Points
- Location:
- It lies in Melghat Forests of Amravati district in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra bordering Madhya Pradesh in the North and East.
- It is a part of the Satpura-Maikal landscape.
- Tiger Reserve:
- It is spread over an area of 2768.52 sq km.
- It is among the first nine places in the country designated as tiger reserves in 1973-74.
- Project Tiger was launched in 1973.
- It was the first Tiger Reserve to be declared in the State of Maharashtra.
- Protected Areas within the Reserve:
- It consists of Gugamal National Park, Wan, Ambawarba and Narnala sanctuaries.
- Features:
- It is the Deccan trap and underlying rock is basalt in one form or another.
- It has various species of mammals including Tiger, Leopard, Sloth bear, Gaur, etc.
- The forests are of deciduous nature and have been classified as ‘dry deciduous forests’. Most prominent is Teak.
- It forms a very important catchment to Tapi river systems.
- The Korku tribe adds to the cultural diversity of the Reserve.
- Other Tiger Reserves in Maharashtra:
- Tadoba-Andhari
- Pench
- Sahyadri
- Navegaon-Nagzira
- Bor
