The Indravati Tiger Reserve: A Natural Treasure

Indravati Tiger Reserve

Indravati Tiger Reserve / Indravati National Park is one of Chhattisgarh’s most beautiful and well-known wildlife reserves. The park gets its name from the Indravati River, which flows east to west and marks the reserve’s northern boundary with the Indian state of Maharashtra. In general, the landscape is conflict-ridden as a result of left-wing extremism.

Indravati National Park

Indravati was designated a national park in 1981. The entire area of the park is roughly 2799.08 km2 (1258.37 km2 core area and a 1540.71 km2 buffer area). Indravati National Park was established as a tiger reserve in 1983 as part of Project Tiger of India.

Indravati Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh

The Indravati Tiger Reserve is in the state of Chhattisgarh, in district Bijapur. The reserve’s northern and western boundaries are formed by the perennial river Indravati, which also serves as the inter-state boundary between Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. The habitat is large and diverse, with high potential, being contiguous with the forests of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. It has high biodiversity and a small population of endangered wild buffalo. Indravati Tiger Reserve and National Park is home to one of the last wild Asian buffalo populations. 

Tiger Status

Due to a shortage of prey and biotic disturbance, the reserve has a low tiger population.

Chhatisgarh Tiger Reserves:

Area of the Indravati Tiger Reserve

Location of the Indravati Tiger Reserve

Flora in the Indravati Tiger Reserve

• The floral diversity in Indravati is high, and the following forest types can be found here:
• (i) Southern tropical moist mixed deciduous forests
• (ii) Southern tropical dry deciduous forests 
  • (a) Mixed forests without teak
  • (b) Mixed forests with teak
  • (c) Dry evergreen forests (confined along river banks)
• (iii) Grasslands

Animals in the Indravati Tiger Reserve

• Tiger, leopard, striped hyena, wolf, common mongoose, sloth bear, fox, hare, common langur, flying squirrel, chital, sambar, barking deer, nilgai, wild boar, and gaur are among the major faunal species.
• Wild buffalos can be found in grassy areas in Pilloor, Gandapuri, and the northwest corner of the reserve. During the summer, these buffalo can be found near river courses.
• Freshwater crocodiles, common monitor lizards, chameleons, common kraits, cobras, and Russell’s vipers are examples of common reptiles.

Indravati (kutru) National Park Corridor

• Together with Bhairamgarh and Pamed Wildlife Sanctuaries, the tiger reserve constitutes the Indravati landscape. It has connectivity with several tiger reserves. Kawai (Telangana), 
• Tadoba (Maharashtra) and 
• Kanha (Madhya Pradesh). 
• The connections with neighbouring forest divisions (Bijapur, Narayanpur, Kondagaon, Kanker) are also crucial.

Other Important Protected Areas of Chhatisgarh

Achanakmar-Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve

The Achanakmar Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve is in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. This reserve area is one of the least developed and least disturbed areas in both states.

• The maximum area of the Achanakmar Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve lies within Chhattisgarh in Bilaspur district, and the remaining area lies in Madhya Pradesh in Anuppur and Dindori districts.
• The Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary is located within the Achanakmar Amarkantak Biosphere Reserve in the Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh.

Guru Ghasidas National Park.

• The Guru Ghasidas National Park is in Koriya and Surguja in northern Chhattisgarh.
• The National Park is located on the Chhotanagpur plateau and a portion of the Baghelkhand plateau, bordering Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand.
• The park covers an area of 2898.70 square kilometres.
• The Guru Ghasidas National Park’s forest is moist deciduous and dominated by Sal.
• The park’s elevation ranges from 300 to 1200 metres above sea level.
• The park is highly fragmented and exposed, with 36 villages within the core area.
• The leading causes of forest degradation are increased cultivation, forest land conversion, and grazing.
• Flora: The vegetation is mainly a mixed deciduous forest with teak, Sal, and bamboo trees.
• Fauna: tiger, leopard, chital, nilgai, sambar, four-horned antelope, etc.

It is the fourth Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh, following the Udanti-Sitanadi, Achanakmar, and Indravati Reserves. The Asiatic cheetah’s last known habitat was Guru Ghasidas National Park. It links Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh and provides a corridor for tigers to move between the Bandhavgarh National Park (Madhya Pradesh) and the Palamau Tiger Reserves (Jharkhand).