Tiger Reserves in Karnataka

Karnataka Tiger Reserves UPSC

Karnataka has 5 tiger reserves.

Table of Contents Bandipur Tiger Reserve Bhadra Tiger Reserve Kali Tiger Reserve Nagarhole Tiger Reserve Biligiri Ranganatha Temple Tiger Reserve

1. Bandipur Tiger Reserve

1. Bandipur Tiger Reserve is located in Mysore and Chamarajanagar districts of Karnataka, India.
2. It is situated at the tri-junction area of the States Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala in India.
3. In 1931, Bandipur was initially established as a wildlife sanctuary by the Maharaja of Mysore.
4. In 1973, Bandipur was designated as a tiger reserve.
5. In 1985, by including adjacent areas from Venugopala Wildlife Park, Bandipur Tiger Reserve was enlargednand named as Bandipur National Park.
6. In 1986, Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve was estbalished by the government of India. Bandipur Tiger Reserve is a part of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
7. In 2000, Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve was included in World Network of Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO.
8. Area: The total area of the Bandipur Tiger Reserve is 1456.309 square kilometers (562.156 square miles).
1. Core/critical tiger habitat: 872.24 sq km
2. Buffer/peripheral : 118.279 sq.km.
3. Forest Area : 465.79 sq.km.
4. Non Forest Area : (Total 584.069 sq.km.)
5. Total : 1456.309 sq. kms.
9. Hills: Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta is a prominent hill located in the reserve and the highest peak within the Bandipur Tiger Reserve area.
10. River: Bandipur Tiger Reserve is located between the Kabini river in the north and the Moyar river in the south.
11. Lake: Kabini Reservoir located within tiger reserve. The Kabini Reservoir is a man-made water body formed by the construction of the Kabini Dam on the Kabini River.
12. Tribe: One of the prominent tribal communities in the region is the Soliga tribe, also known as the Sholaga or Sholiga.
13. Flora: Rosewood, Indian Kino Tree, Sandalwood, Indian Laurel, Bamboo etc.
14. Fauna: Tiger, Indian Elephant, Indian Leopard, Gaur, Sloth Bear, Golden Jackal, Dhole, Sambar Deer, Malabar Pied Hornbill, Indian Pitta, Indian Rock Python, Monitor Lizard, Mugger Crocodile etc.

2. Bhadra Tiger Reserve

1. Bhadra Tiger Reserve is located in Chikmagalur district and Shimoga district of Karnataka, India.
2. In 1951, Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary
3. was established under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
4. In 1998, Bhadra Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as a tiger reserve.
5. Area: Bhadra Tiger Reserve covers an area of approximately 500.16 square kilometers (193.11 square miles).
1. Core: 500.16 Sq kms
2. Buffer area : 571.84 Sq kms
3. Total : 1072.00 Sq kms
6. Hills: Some of hills and ranges located within tiger reserve:
1. Lakkavalli Range
2. Muthodi Range
3. Mullayanagiri
4. Gangegiri
5. Hebbegiri
6. Baba Budangiri Ranges
7. River: The Bhadra Tiger Reserve is named after the Bhadra River, which flows through the tiger reserve.
8. Lake: Bhadra Reservoir or Bhadra Lake situated within the tiger reserve. The reservoir is created by the Bhadra River through the construction of the Bhadra Dam.
9. Tribe: The reserve area is inhabited by the Soliga tribe.
10. Flora: Southern Moist Mixed Deciduous Forests (Terminalia tomentosa, Lagerstroemia lanccolata, Termmalia paniculata), Southern Dry Mixed Deciduous Forests(Pterocarpus marsupium, Grewia tilifolia, Bambusa arundinacea, Dendrocalamus strictus), Sholas etc.
11. Fauna: Tiger, Leopard, Leopard Cat, Dhole, Indian Civet, Gaur, Sambar, Barking Deer, Grey Junglefowl, Red Spurfowl, King Cobra, Marsh Crocodiles etc.

3. Kali Tiger Reserve

1. The Kali Tiger Reserve is located in the Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India.
2. It was earlier known as Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve.
3. In 1956, the Government of Karnataka declared the area as a wildlife sanctuary.
4. In 1987, the Anshi National Park was officially established.
5. In 2007, Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary and Anshi National Park were together granted the status of tiger reserve, as ‘ Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve’ under Project Tiger.
6. In 2015, Dandeli-Anshi Tiger Reserve was renamed to Kali Tiger Reserve. The change of name was to bring focus and awareness to Kali River.
7. Area: The Kali Tiger Reserve spans a total area of 1,345.7167 square kilometers (520.1348 square miles).
1. Core: 814.884 Sq. Kms.
2. Buffer: 530.8327 Sq. Kms.
3. Total: 1345.7167 Sq. Kms.
8. River: Kali Tiger Reserve is named after the Kali River, which flows through the reserve.
9. Flora: South Indian Moist Deciduous Teak Forests (teakt, Lagerstroemia, Terminalia, and Pterocarpus), Southern Moist Mixed Deciduous Forests: (Terminalia, Palaquium, Hopea, and Dipterocarpus), West Coast Semi-evergreen Forests (Dipterocarpus, Mesua, Cullenia, and Calophyllum), Bamboo etc.
10. Fauna: Tiger, Black Panther, Leopard, Elephant, Bison, Wild Dog, Sambar, Spotted Deer, Sloth Bear, Malabar Pied Hornbill, King Cobra, Monitor Lizard etc.
11. Kali Tiger Reserve is home to rare Black Panthers.

4. Nagarhole Tiger Reserve

1. Nagarhole Tiger Reserve is located in Kodagu and Mysore district of Karnataka in India.
2. It is also known as Rajiv Gandhi National Park.
3. It is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
4. In 1955, Nagarhole was declared a wildlife sanctuary.
5. In 1988, the sanctuary declared as a Nagarhole National Park.
6. In 1999, Nagarhole National Park was declared a tiger reserve as part of the Project Tiger initiative.
7. In 2000, Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve was recognized by UNESCO as a World Network of Biosphere Reserves. The tiger reserve is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
8. Area: Nagarhole Tiger Reserve spans an area of approximately 643 square kilometers (248 square miles).
1. Core: 643.35 sq. km
2. Buffer: Forest: 200.57 sq. km
3. Buffer: – Non-Forest: 361.84 sq. km
4. Total: 1205.76 Sq.km.
9. River: The Nagarahole River flows through the tiger reserve, and joins the Kabini River. The Kabini River forms a natural boundary between Nagarhole Tiger Reserve and the Bandipur National Park.
10. Lake: Water bodies found in the reserve are:
1. Kabini Reservoir
2. Taraka Reservoir
11. Flora: 
1. Dry Deciduous Forests (teak, rosewood, sandalwood, Indian kino tree, Indian gooseberry, and Indian laurel), 
2. Tropical Moist Forests (bamboo, silver oak, Indian Kino tree, black dammar, and ficus), 
3. Semi-Evergreen Forests (Honne, Karanj, Nandi, and Eucalyptus), 
4. Grasslands and Swamps etc.
12. Fauna: Tiger, Asian Elephants, Chital, Indian Mouse Deer, Gaur, Asian Wild Dog, Leopard, Sloth Bear, White-rumped Vulture, Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Indian Monitor, Mugger Crocodile etc.

5. Biligiri Ranganatha Temple Tiger Reserve

1. The Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve is located in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka State.
2. This unique Bio-geographical habitat is in the middle of the bridge between Western and Eastern ghats in South India.
3. It is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
4. In 1974, the area surrounding the Biligiri Ranganatha Swamy Temple was declared a wildlife sanctuary.
5. In 2011, the wildlife sanctuary was upgraded to the status of a tiger reserve, becoming the Biligiri Ranganatha Temple Tiger Reserve.
6. Area: The Biligiri Ranganatha Temple Tiger Reserve covers an area of approximately 574.82 square kilometers (221.99 square miles).
1. Core Area : 359.10 sq kms
2. Buffer Area : 215.72 sq kms
3. Total : 574.82 sq kms
7. Hills: The Biligiri Ranganatha Temple Tiger Reserve is located in the Biligiri Ranganatha Hills, which are part of the Eastern Ghats mountain range.
8. Flora: 
1. Southern Tropical Evergreen Forests (Anogeissus latifolia, Dalbergia paniculata,Terminalia alata and Syzygium cumini), 
2. Southern Tropical Semi-evergreen Forests (Buchanania lanzan, Careya arborea, and Sterculia villosa), 
3. Southern Tropical Moist Deciduous Forests (Cassia fistula, Boswellia serrata, Lagerstroemia parviflora, and Pterocarpus marsupium) etc.
9. Fauna: Tiger, Leopard, Wild dog, Lesser cat, Sloth Bear, Elephant, Gaur, Sambhar, Spotted Deer, Yellow Throated Bulbul, Nilgiri Wood Pigeon, Malabar Pit Viper, Monitor Lizards etc.