Telangana Government Declares Kawal Tiger Corridor as 'Kumram Bheem Conservation Reserve' for Enhanced Wildlife Protection.

National

In May 2025, the Government of Telangana officially notified the tiger corridor connecting Kawal Tiger Reserve (TR) in Telangana to Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Maharashtra as the ‘Kumram Bheem Conservation Reserve’. This designation was made under Section 36A of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 to enhance wildlife conservation in the region.


      - The creation of the Kumram Bheem Conservation Reserve aims to intensify tiger conservation efforts by facilitating targeted funding and deploying dedicated personnel to strengthen protection, habitat management, and monitoring activities in the corridor region.

      - The conservation reserve spans a total area of 1,492.88 square kilometers, covering parts of the Kagaznagar and Asifabad forest divisions in the Komaram Bheem Asifabad district of Telangana.

      - The area includes 78 reserve forest blocks, forming a crucial ecological corridor for tiger movement between the two tiger reserves.

Main Point :-   (i) To manage and oversee the conservation efforts, the Telangana government has established a 12-member Conservation Reserve Management Committee. The Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) of Kumram Bheem Asifabad will act as the member secretary (convener) of the committee.

      (ii) The declaration of this reserve is part of Telangana’s broader initiative to strengthen wildlife corridors and protect tiger habitats. These steps align with India’s national objectives for biodiversity conservation under the Wildlife Protection framework.

(iii) As of March 2025, India has a total of 58 officially declared Tiger Reserves. The most recent addition is Madhav National Park in Madhya Pradesh (MP), which was declared as the 58th Tiger Reserve by the Government of India.

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