Project Landscapes
Three landscapes are targeted by the project, of which two landscapes (Dudhwa landscape in Uttar Pradesh & Pakke-Eaglenest landscape in Arunachal Pradesh) are being focused for on-ground interventions. Ranthambore in Rajasthan will be receiving limited support for species conservation planning, awareness raising and knowledge exchange.
Pakke-Eaglenest
Pakke Tiger Reserve is located in the East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh. Surrounded by the Tenga Reserve Forest to the North, the Doimara Reserve Forest and Sakteng Wildlife Sanctuary in Bhutan on the West, Nameri National Park and Tiger Reserve (Assam) on the South, and the Papum Reserve Forest on the East; the landscape has high species diversity and endemicity as it forms the transition zone between the Indian and Malayan eco-regions.
The protected areas of Pakke Tiger Reserve (1377 km2), Sessa Orchid Sanctuary (100 km2), and Eaglenest (217 km2) cover a large altitudinal gradient from the foothills in Pakke to about 3000 m in the Eaglenest Sanctuary, encompassing a large fraction of the biodiversity of this exceptionally biodiverse part of the Himalayas.
The Dudhwa landscape comprises three protected areas (PAs), forming the Dudhwa Tiger Reserve. The surrounding matrix is primarily agriculture with sugarcane and paddy being dominant crops. The landscape lies in Eastern Uttar Pradesh in Lakhimpur-Kheri and Bahraich Districts. The international boundary with Nepal forms the northern boundary of the landscape, with the northern boundaries of Dudhwa National Park (NP) and Katerniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS) lying on the international India-Nepal border.
The Tiger Reserve consists of three disjunct PAs: Dudhwa NP and Kishanpur WLS in Lakhimpur-Kheri district and Katerniaghat WLS in the adjacent Bahraich district. Parts of North Kheri Forest Division, South Kheri Division, and a small part of Shahjahanpur Forest Divisions form parts of the buffer of the Tiger Reserve. The core area is 1093.79 km2, and the buffer is 1107.98 km2, thus the total protected area is 2201.77 km2.
Dudhwa Landscape
Ranthambore Landscape
Ranthambhore was declared as a Tiger Reserve during the launch of the Project Tiger in 1973.
Ranthambore Tiger Reserve (RTR) is located at the junction of the Aravalli and the Vindhyan mountain chains which are ancient, eroded mountains. The landscape is hilly with sharp escarpments topped by flat plateaus (locally called “Dang”), and gorges (locally called “khoh”). The Banas and the Chambal are the two main rivers in the landscape. While the Banas River separates the buffer areas of Keladevi Sanctuary from the Ranthambhore National Park, the Chambal flows along the park boundary and forms the border between Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh States. Ravines occur along both of the river courses. Several large water bodies (locally called talab or lake) exist inside the National Park and are a hotspot of activity for ungulates and the tiger.
Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve (RTR) (25°41′ N to 26°22′ N and 76°16′ E to 77°14′ E) is spread across four districts (Sawai Madhopur, Karauli, Bundi and Tonk) in south-eastern Rajasthan. Other protected areas nearby include Sariska Tiger Reserve to the north, Kuno Wildlife Sanctuary and Madhav National Park in the east, Ramgarh Visdhari Wildlife Sanctuary and Mukundara Hills Tiger Reserve in the south-west, and the river Chambal which flows adjacent to the landscape been designated a National Park for its freshwater fauna.