Process to notify Debrigarh as tiger reserve begins with formation of expert panel
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Bhubaneswar: Three years after the
National Tiger Conservation Authority
(NTCA) approved tiger reserve status for Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary, the wildlife wing has formed a three-member expert committee to carry out ground assessment.
The panel will conduct field study once it receives approval from state govt. After the expert committee report is submitted and govt notification issued, Debrigarh will become Odisha's third tiger reserve after Satkosia, which was declared in 2007, officials said.
"The expert committee will start working once the govt gives the go-ahead. Within two to three weeks, their reports will be ready, after which the govt will decide when to notify the tiger reserve," said chief wildlife warden Prem Kumar Jha.
Once the reserve is notified, tiger habitat management will undergo a huge change. NTCA's approval came at the end of Jan, two months after a Royal Bengal Tiger walked into Debrigarh, which had no big cat.
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"After the notification, it will be the first tiger reserve in western Odisha. The reserve, as per NTCA's recommendation, will have a total area of 804 sq km with a sanctuary area of 353 sq km without human habitation as the core. Inside the core area, there is no revenue village," a wildlife officer said.
Wildlife officials said one of the primary benefits of Debrigarh getting tiger reserve status is strengthening
biodiversity
and better carbon sequestration. "The other benefits are boost to the local economy of three districts by increasing employment prospects and the inflow of foreign exchange through increase in tourists, apart from other advantages," the officer added.
Sources said seven tiger reserves in India have a core area below 300 sq km, but Debrigarh has 353 sq km. Considering Debrigarh positioning itself at an advantage in terms of water sources and prey density, NTCA recommended prey supplementation (translocation) that can, in the long run, help sustain big cats. Officials said the state govt will conduct gram sabhas in 54 buffer villages for the declaration of
Debrigarh Tiger Reserve
.
Debrigarh authorities said the sanctuary bears a unique distinction as it is located at the junction of central and eastern India forests, with three sanctuaries — Achanakmar and Udanti in Chhattisgarh and Kanha in Madhya Pradesh — having contiguity with each other. Kawal Tiger Reserve in Telangana also has contiguity with Debrigarh. In Odisha, Satkosia Tiger Reserve and Sunabeda Wildlife Sanctuary are also connected. Debrigarh authorities have relocated 445 families from the core area, making it inviolate.
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