Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla: Chhattisgarh’s Newest Tiger Reserve

The recently inaugurated Tiger reserve in Chhattisgarh, named Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve makes it the 56 Tiger reserve in India and is a big leap towards the conservation of wildlife in the nation. This large area is strategically located in the districts of Manendragarh-Chirmiri-Bharatpur, Korea, Surajpur, and Balrampur and serves as an important wildlife corridor since Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh on the one end and Palamu Tiger Reserve in Jharkhand on the other. This connectivity is important for species genetic and ecological purposes for the purpose of preserving the gene pool as well as biologically balancing this region.

Ecological Significance: The Guru Ghasidas–Tamor Pingla is the fourth Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh after Indravati Tiger Reserve, Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve, and Achanakmar Tiger Reserve. It exceeds in geographical size the tiger reserves in-band Karnataka; and Kanha in Madhya Pradesh; and is the third largest tiger reserve throughout the country, behind only the Nagarjunasagar Srisailam in Andhra Pradesh and Manas in Assam. The reserve is situated within the Eastern Highlands moist deciduous forests; the areas are dominated by Sal and Teak trees that in turns support the many animals within the park.

Large numbers of animals are hosted at the reserve, such as the Royal Bengal tiger, Asiatic elephants, leopards, spare, chousingha (four horned antelope). Also there are some birds like red jungle fowl, gray jungle fowl and green pigeons that increases it’s diversification. The reserve also plays a shelter for dholes (wild dog) and the reptiles such as pythons.

Importance of Conservation: The setting of Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla as a tiger reserve, is just a testament to the continuous Indian spirit of conserving their diverse environment. The designation not only benefits in the conservation and preservation of the endangered species but also in the preservation of ecological tourist activities as well as carrying out various researches. Places like these are used to reduce human coupled with wildlife interface, conserve ‘charismatic megafauna’ species like our tigers and enhance the production of other environmental services that come with remaining protected areas such as forests.

Wider Implications: Conservation done here at Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla reserves helps to uphold India as one of the 34 mega hotspots of biodiversity in the entire world. The reserve serves its purpose under India’s commitment to international treaties like Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). It also supports the accomplishment of the NTCA’s objective of protecting tiger populations by providing a solid foundation.

Conclusion: The declaration of Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla as tiger reserve is an effective example of that is the spirit of government to protected wildlife. It underlines the need to conserve the diversity, to retain the balance of the ecosystem, moderate global warming in addition to sustainable development. That can come handy for SSC and UPSC aspirants, as it can become the focus area for the learning of how the process of conservation and development is planned and managed: a hot topic of discussion in the context of environmental governance and policies.