Amrabad Tiger Reserve improves national ranking

Amrabad Tiger Reserve has been ranked in the 'Very Good' category (2022) as against the 'Good' category in 2018.

Hyderabad: The progressive initiatives taken up by the Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR) have yielded good results as the reserve has now been ranked in the ‘Very Good’ category (2022) as against the ‘Good’ category in 2018 as per the comparative ratings of the Tiger Reserves in the country.

The Kawal Tiger Reserve maintained its ranking in the ‘Good’ category.

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Under the Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of Tiger Reserves, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change assessed the performance the tiger reserves. Accordingly the Fifth Cycle, 2022 Summary Report was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday. The tiger reserves are ranked by their performance in six key elements like planning, inputs, process and outcome.

Accordingly, initiatives taken up by ATR in clearing and handling plastic waste, water resource management, forest fire management, grasslands management, effective documentation of wildlife, setting up of a bio-lab to study and analysis of excreta and other remains of wild animals, were appreciated by the MEE team, which inspected ATR last year.

Amrabad is the second largest Tiger Reserve in terms of core area and the sixth-largest in terms of total area among 51 Tiger Reserves in India. It was notified as a sanctuary in 1983 and after the State bifurcation, it was declared as Amarabad Tiger Reserve in 2015.

Challenges ahead

Though ATR initiatives are paying good results, there are many challenges for the officials, if it has to get ranked in the ‘Excellent’ category in the next ratings. To begin with, a Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) needs to be set up in ATR and Kawal as was being done in Maharashtra.

More base camps have to be set up in addition to the existing 23 camps in ATR. For a tiger reserve, which is spread over 2,600 square kms, it needs to have at least 70 to 80 base camps. Bandipur reserve, which is spread over 1200 square km has about 60 base camps.

Similarly, illegal fishing in River Krishna waters, relocation of villages from the reserve area and developing infrastructure, especially e-surveillance and sufficient provision of staff quarters for department personnel and equipment, are the key issues that need to be addressed by the forest department.