NAGPUR: It is going to be a tight squeeze for the tigers of Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR, Maharashtra). With 13 more added to the already existing 31 in the last year, there is just not enough room for all. PTR will need to quickly act to increase the core area to accommodate the 44 adult tigers plus another 7 cubs which will soon turn adults.
Pench currently is spread over 670 sqkms over (core plus buffer). The proposal, which will bring in a part of Nagalwadi located in the Salegahat range of Mansinghdeo Wildlife Sanctuary, will add another 80.45 sqkms to PTR. However, even this will not be enough to house all the tigers.
As per scientific studies, a tigress needs at least 20 sqkm area while for a male it is 40-60 sqkm territory. The 44 tigers (22 females and 22 males) will require an area of over 1,000 sqkm. If the proposal is implemented, Pench will go on to occupy 750.45 sqkms. As per Wildlife Institute of India (WII) & National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) guidelines, about 800-1,000 sqkm area is required for 20 breeding tigresses.
"This is the minimum inviolate area required to maintain an overall population of 70-100 tigers," says WII scientist Bilal Habib.
Currently, 138.40 sqkmNagalwadi range lies in the buffer zone of Pench and has recorded tiger presence. It is a mixed deciduous forest ideal for tigers and other wildlife too.
The proposal recommends adding 80.45 sqkm area of Nagalwadi, which includes 29 compartments of reserve forest to Saleghat range of Mansinghdeo. This will hike the core area of the sanctuary to 263 sqkm from the present 183 sqkm. There are no villages in the proposed area which will ease the process of conversion.
"I have not gone through the proposal but will certainly work on the scope for expansion," said Rishikesh Ranjan who recently took over as PTR CCF & field director.
Interestingly, as reported by TOI on May 1, Mansinghdeo Sanctuary has been notified as a critical tiger habitat (CTH) in a merger of sorts with Pench and the sanctuary is now not confined to the buffer zone of Pench.
As per the proposal, Nagalwadi range in the buffer needs to be reorganized by dividing it into three ranges — Saleghat (56.43 sqkm), Nagalwadi (73.85 sqkm) and Suvardhara (56.95 sqkm). This will lead to better management of the area.
According to wildlife conservationist PrafullaBhamburkar there is enough scope to extend Mansinghdeo Sanctuary which, in turn, will make Pench bigger too. "The entire Nagalwadi range needs to be declared part of Mansinghdeo. Besides, there are 9 reserve forest compartments on north-west of Parseoni and Khapa ranges outside the buffer, which ideally should have been part of the sanctuary," says Bhamburkar.
According to him, these areas are not only rich in wildlife but "are also connected to Kanhan range of South Chhindwara forest in Madhya Pradesh and form vital corridor to Satpura".
Bhamburkar said a large compact network of protected forest outside these compartments can then be used as buffer. "The entire area is about 200 sqkm. If reorganized, wildlife management can be better and poaching threats from neighbouring MP can be tackled. If Nagalwadi becomes core, buffer can be carved from Parseoni and Khapa ranges," said Bhamburkar.
According to experts, by itself 138 sqkms of Nagalwadi range is too huge to manage. The area is equivalent to Bor Tiger Reserve which is better equipped than Nagalwadi.
