Two more tiger reserves in Maharashtra

NAGPUR: Saving the tiger has received a fillip as two more wildlife sanctuaries in Vidarbha are to get tiger reserve status. Maharashtra already has four reserves at Pench, Tadoba-Andhari and Melghat in Vidarbha as well as Sahyadri in western Maharashtra. Now, Nagzira-Navegaon and Bor forests will get the same status, taking the number of reserves in the state to six.

Union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh announced this on the sidelines of an interactive meeting organised by the Nag Vidarbha Chamber of Commerce on Monday.

The former is carved out of two forests (Nagzira and Navegaon ) linked by a corridor, each spread in an area of around 150 sq km each. There are around 10 tigers in and around Nagzira and a little chance of any in Navegaon, which has a sizeable population of leopards. Bor, spread in an area of 62 sq km, is reported to have six tigers. Once declared a tiger reserve, these forests will get more funds from the Centre and will also have better management, with conservation focusing on the big cat.