Tiger Corridor in Rajasthan

• 13 Jul 2021

Why in News

The Rajasthan government will develop a tiger corridor connecting the newly proposed ‘Ramgarh Tiger Reserve’, Ranthambore Tiger Reserve and Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve.

• Sariska Tiger Reserve is another Tiger reserve in Rajasthan.

Key Points

• About the Animal Corridor:
  
  • Wildlife or animal corridors are meant to ensure safe passage for animals between two isolated habitats.
  • In wildlife parlance, corridors are mainly of two types: functional and structural.
    
    • Functional corridors are defined in terms of functionality from the perspective of the animal (basically areas where there has been recorded movement of wildlife).
    • Structural corridors are contiguous strips of forested areas and structurally connect the otherwise fragmented blocks of the landscape.
  • When structural corridors are affected by human anthropogenic activities, functional corridors automatically widen because of animal use.
  • In 2019, the National Tiger Conservation Authority in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India published a document, mapping out 32 major corridors across the country, management interventions for which are operationalised through a Tiger Conservation Plan.
  • The states are required to submit a Tiger Conservation Plan under section 38V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Other Protected Areas in Rajasthan:
  
  • Desert National Park, Jaisalmer
  • Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur
  • Sajjangarh wildlife sanctuary, Udaipur
  • National Chambal Sanctuary (on tri-junction of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh).
• Protection Status of Tiger:
  
  • Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
  • International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List: Endangered.
  • Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES): Appendix I.

Project Tiger

• Project Tiger is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change launched in 1973 to provide central assistance to the tiger States for tiger conservation in designated tiger reserves in India.
• The project is administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)

• It is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
• It was established in 2005 following the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force.
• It was constituted under enabling provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2006, for strengthening tiger conservation, as per powers and functions assigned to it.

Source: IE