Vision for the Future

The dynamics of forest management and wildlife conservation have been distorted due to need for income, lack of awareness, lack of land use policy and population pressure. Since the traditional use systems of people are neither static nor benign, these should not be overlooked. A regional development approach in landscapes having Tiger Reserves is of utmost importance in our country. It should be viewed as a mosaic of different land use patterns, via, tiger conservation / preservation, forestry, sustainable use and development, besides socio-economic growth.

Tiger habitats exist in environments of thousands of indigenous communities which depend on them. Therefore we cannot view these protected areas in isolation from the surrounding socio-economic realities and developmental priorities of the Govt. This calls for a cross-sectoral and cross-disciplinary approach. Tigers now need a " preservationist" approach. Regional planning is important around Tiger Reserves to foster ecological connectivity between protected areas through restorative inputs with integrated land use planning. The management plan of a Tiger Reserve, therefore, needs to be integrated in larger regional management plans.

Name of the Tiger Reserves in Tiger range states with year of creation and area
SNo.	Year of Creation	Name of Tiger Reserve	State	Total area (In Sq. Kms.)
1	1973-74	Bandipur	Karnataka	866
	1999-2000		Nagarhole (extension)	642
2	1973-74	Corbett	Uttaranchal	1316
3	1973-74	Kanha	Madhya Pradesh	1945
4	1973-74	Manas	Assam	2840
5	1973-74	Melghat	Maharashtra	1677
6	1973-74	Palamau	Jharkhand	1026
7	1973-74	Ranthambhore	Rajasthan	1334
8	1973-74	Similipal	Orissa	2750
9	1973-74	Sunderbans	West Bengal	2585
10	1978-79	Periyar	Kerala	777
11	1978-79	Sariska	Rajasthan	866
12	1982-83	Buxa	West Bengal	759
13	1982-83	Indravati	Chattisgarh	2799
14	1982-83	Nagarjunsagar	Andhra Pradesh	3568
15	1982-83	Namdapha	Arunachal Pradesh	1985
16	1987-88	Dudhwa	Uttar Pradesh	811
	1999-2000		Katerniaghat-(extension)	551
17	1988-89	Kalakad-Mundanthurai	Tamil Nadu	800
18	1989-90	Valmiki	Bihar	840
19	1992-93	Pench	Madhya Pradesh	758
20	1993-94	Tadoba-Andhari	Maharashtra	620
21	1993-94	Bandhavgarh	Madhya Pradesh	1162
22	1994-95	Panna	Madhya Pradesh	542
23	1994-95	Dampha	Mizoram	500
24	1998-99	Bhadra	Karnataka	492
25	1998-99	Pench	Maharashtra	257
26	1999-2000	Pakhui-Nameri	Arunachal Pradesh-Assam	1206
27	1999-2000	Bori, Satpura, Pachmari	Madhya Pradesh	1486
Total				37761