The notification for Ratapani to be designated as the 7th Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh is expected to be issued this month, following the consent from all relevant departments. A meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Anurag Jain took place recently, where the Forest Department requested a month's time to finalize the legal formalities required for the notification. Principal Secretary of the Forest Department, Ashok Varnwal, confirmed that the entire process will be completed within this time-frame.
The proposed Tiger Reserve will cover a total area of 1,244.518 square kilometers, including a core area of 763.812 square kilometers, which will not include any revenue villages. Agricultural lands and residential settlements will remain unaffected. There are currently three forest villages within the core area, and their relocation is underway. In the buffer zone, there are 32 villages, with nearly all providing written consent to the Forest Department, except for about 10 villages.
The majority of the core area, measuring 628.781 square kilometers, will be located in Raisen district, while Sehore district will encompass 135 square kilometers. A mere 1.7 square kilometers of Bhopal district will be included in the buffer area, meaning that no restrictive provisions will apply in Bhopal following the establishment of the Tiger Reserve.
Ratapani is currently home to 80 tigers, and the Central Government had granted in-principle approval for its designation as a Tiger Reserve 16 years ago. Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav has expressed frustration over the delays in issuing the notification, which prompted the Chief Secretary to convene a meeting of the departments.
What Makes Ratapani Unique?
Ratapani is only 60 km from state capital Bhopal. Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh is unique for a number of reasons, including:
Diverse wildlife: The sanctuary is home to a wide variety of animals, including tigers, wild dogs, leopards, sloth bears, hyenas, and more. The herbivores include chital, sambar, nilgai, four-horned antelope, langur, wild boar, and rhesus macaque.
Smaller animals, like squirrels, mongooses, gerbils, porcupines, hares, etc. are of common occurrence. Among reptiles, important species include different kinds of lizards, chameleon, snakes, etc. Among snakes, cobra, python, viper, krait, etc. are common.
Birdwatching: The sanctuary is home to over 210 bird species, including the state bird of Madhya Pradesh, the Paradise Flycatcher.
Other birds include common babbler, crimson-breasted barbet, bulbul, bee-eater, baya, cuckoo, kingfisher, kite, lark, Bengal vulture, sunbird, white wagtail, crow pheasant, jungle crow, egrets, myna, jungle fowl, parakeets, partridges, hoopoe, quails, woodpeckers, blue jay, dove, black drongo, flycatcher, flower pecker and rock pigeon.
UNESCO World Heritage Site: The sanctuary is home to the Bhimbetika rock shelters and rock paintings, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Lakes and reservoirs: The sanctuary has several lakes and reservoirs, including the Ratapani reservoir, which is home to crocodiles and other aquatic fauna.
Forest types: The sanctuary has a variety of forest types, including dry deciduous, moist deciduous, bamboo, and evergreen Saja.
Teak trees: The main tree species in the sanctuary is teak, which covers about 55% of the area.
Trekking trails: The sanctuary has trekking trails.
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