Why in News

The Chief Minister of Maharashtra has requested the Union government for considering an alternative alignment for the Akola-Khandwa rail line that passes through the Melghat Tiger Reserve.

About

• Location:
  • It lies in Melghat Forests of Amravati district in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra bordering Madhya Pradesh in the North and East.
  • It is a part of the Satpura-Maikal landscape.
• Tiger Reserve:
  • It is spread over an area of 2768.52 sq km.
  • It is among the first nine places in the country designated as tiger reserves in 1973-74.
    • Project Tiger was launched in 1973.
  • The State of Maharashtra declared it as the first Tiger Reserve.
• Protected Areas within the Reserve:
  • It consists of Gugamal National Park, Wan, Ambawarba and Narnala sanctuaries.
• Features:
  • It is the Deccan trap and underlying rock is basalt in one form or another.
  • It has various species of mammals including Tiger, Leopard, Sloth bear, Gaur, etc.
  • The forests are of deciduous nature and have been classified as ‘dry deciduous forests’. Most prominent is Teak.
  • It forms a very important catchment to Tapi river systems.
  • The Korku tribe adds to the cultural diversity of the Reserve.

History

Kings from the north traversed passes in Melghat to reach Berar, where they founded the Imad Shahi dynasty in 1484. The historic forts, Narnala and Gawilgarh, guarded the main east-west ridge. In 1803, in the Second Maratha War, Colonel Arthur Wellesley, who later became the Duke of Wellington, captured the Gawilgarh fort from the Marathas.

Map of Melghat Tiger Reserve

Flora

The dominant flora species to be known in Melghat is the Teak (Tectona Grandis). Among the whole locality, the most commonly found associates are Lagerstroemia parviflora, Lannea Coromandelica, Amla (Emblica officinalis), Terminalia tomentosa, Anogeissus latifolia, and Oujenia oojeinesis.

There are 647 natural species that belong to 398 genera of 97 families. There are more additional 67 species to the angiosperms. A scientist of the Botanical Survey from the Western region of Pune, India added more 58 species and currently the total is 772 species.

Fauna

A variety of herbivores & carnivorous animals can be spotted here. Apart from Bengal Tiger, there are many other sources of attractions which attracts tourists and wildlife lover at Melghat. The prominent ones are Rhesus Macaque, Jungle Cat, Wild Boar, Indian Pangolin, Indian Wolf, Sloth Bear, Hyena, Other species are Wild Dog Common Langur, Sambar, Barking deer, Gaur, Blue Bull, four-horned antelope, Chinkara which can be seen at Melghat Tiger Reserve.

The Reserve is home to 262 species of bird, 54 species of amphibian, and 96 species of Pisces. Due to the stock of animals found here, the place is considered an important wildlife abode.

FAQs related to the Melghat Tiger Reserve

Read also:- Gugamal National Park, Amravati (Maharashtra)