Madhya Pradesh is set to designate the Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary as the eighth Tiger Reserve near Bhopal.

Environment

The State Wildlife Board (WLB) of Madhya Pradesh has approved the declaration of Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS), located near Bhopal (the capital of MP), as the eighth Tiger Reserve (TR) in the state.


      - The state WLB will now send its recommendation to the Government of India (GoI) for final approval to officially designate the WLS as a TR.

      - In 2011, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had given initial approval to recognize Ratapani WLS as a TR.

      - Currently, Ratapani WLS covers an area of 823 sq km in the Raisen and Sehore districts of Madhya Pradesh.

Main Points:-   (i) The proposed TR will cover an area of 1,271.465 square kilometers (sq km), including both Ratapani WLS and Singhori WLS.

      (ii) Out of the total area, 763.812 square kilometers (sq km) will be designated as the core area for tigers, while the remaining 507.653 sq km will serve as a buffer zone to protect wildlife.

(iii) According to the 2022 Tiger Census, Ratapani WLS is home to a total of 3,123 wild animals, which include 56 tigers and 70 leopards.
About Madhya Pradesh

CM : Mohan Yadav
Governor: Mangubhai C. Patel
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