Melghat Tiger Reserve | 16 Jul 2020

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.
    • 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:

Source: IE