Assam is home to 4 tiger reserves. These reserves are crucial for the conservation of Bengal tigers and their habitats.
Contents
1. Manas Tiger Reserve
- Manas Tiger Reserve is located in the Kokrajhar, Chirang, Buxa and Udalguri District of Assam, India.
- It is situated at the foothills of the eastern Himalayas.
- To the north, it is separated from the Royal Manas National Park of Bhutan by the River Manas and its tributaries- Beki and Hakua; while to the west, it is separated from the Buxa Tiger Reserve of West Bengal by the River Sankosh.
- In 1907, Manas was initially declared a Reserve Forest.
- In 1928, it was designated as a Game Sanctuary under the British government’s Forest Act of 1927.
- In 1950, Manas Game Sanctuary was declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary.
- In 1973, Manas Wildlife Sanctuary was declared as Manas Tiger Reserve.
- In 1985, it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (Natural).
- In 1989, it was declared as a Biosphere Reserve by government of India.
- In 1990, Manas was designated as a National Park.
- In 2003, it was declared as an Elephant Reserve.
- In 2008, Manas Tiger Reserve was identified as a Critical Tiger Habitat.
- In 2014, Manas was recognized as a Tiger Source Site for Conservation.
- Area: Manas Tiger Reserve covers a total area of 2,837.31 square kilometers (1,095.65 square miles).
- Core: 526.22 sq.km
- Buffer: 2310.88 sq.km
- Total: 2837.31 sq.km.
- River: The reserve is named after the Manas River. Manas River flow through the heart of Manas Tiger Reserve before joining the Brahmaputra River.
- Flora: Sal Forests, Khair-Sisoo Forests, Scrub Forests, Semi-Evergreen Forests, Mixed Deciduous Forests, Grasslands etc.
- Fauna: Tiger, Indian Elephants, Indian Rhinoceros, Wild Water Buffaloes, Gaurs, Barasingha, Asian Golden Cats, Dholes, Chinese Pangolin, Bengal Florican, Slender-billed Vulture, Assam Roofed Turtle, Monitor Lizards etc.
- One of the notable conservation initiatives in Manas was the successful translocation of Indian rhinoceros from the Kaziranga National Park.
2. Nameri Tiger Reserve
- Nameri Tiger Reserve is located in the Sonitpur district of the state of Assam in northeastern India.
- It is situated at the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas.
- The reserve is named after the Nameri River, which flows through it.
- In 1978, a portion of the Sonitpur Reserve Forest was declared as the Nameri Wildlife Sanctuary.
- In 1999-2000, the Government of India declared Nameri Wildlife Sanctuary as a tiger reserve.
- Area: Nameri Tiger Reserve covers an approximate area of 344 square kilometers.
- Core: 200 sq.km.
- Buffe: 144 sq.km.
- Total: 344 sq.km.
- River: The Nameri Tiger Reserve is traversed by the Jia-Bhoroli River, which is a tributary of the Brahmaputra River. Additionally, the reserve is also home to several tributaries of the Jia-Bhoroli River, including the Nameri River, Upper Dikorai River, and Bor Dikorai River.
- Jia-Bhoroli River
- Nameri River
- Upper Dikorai River
- Bor Dikorai River
- Flora: Main forest types and vegetation found within the reserve:
- Assam Valley Tropical Evergreen Forests,
- Sub-Himalayan Light Alluvial Semi-Evergreen Forests,
- Eastern Alluvial Secondary Semi-Evergreen Forests,
- Cane Brakes,
- Low Alluvial Savanna Woodland,
- Eastern Hollock Forests,
- Eastern Seasonal Swamp Forests,
- Eastern Dillenia Swamp Forests,
- Eastern Wet Alluvial Grassland.
- Fauna: Tiger, Leopard, Clouded Leopard, Wild Dog, Asian Elephant, Gaur, Sambar, Sloth Bear, Slow Loris, White Winged Wood Duck, Great Hornbill, White-rumped Vulture, Slender Billed Vulture, Assam Roofed Turtle, Bengal Monitor Lizard etc.
- Nameri Tiger Reserve is famous for the White Winged Wood Duck.
3. Orang Tiger Reserve
- Orang Tiger Reserve is located in the Darrang and Sonitpur districts of Assam in India.
- The reserve is situated on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River.
- Orang Tiger Reserve is referred to as the “Mini Kaziranga National Park” due to its resemblance to Kaziranga National Park.
- In 1985, Orang was initially established as a wildlife sanctuary.
- In 1999, the Orang Wildlife Sanctuary was upgraded to the status of a national park. It was renamed as the Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park.
- In 2016, Orang National Park was declared as a tiger reserve under the Project Tiger initiative.
- It was the 49th Tiger Reserve in India.
- Area: The Orang Tiger Reserve encompasses a total area of approximately 492.46 square kilometers.
- Core- 79.28 sq.km
- Buffer- 413.18 sq.km
- Total- 492.46 sq.km
- River: The Orang Tiger Reserve is bordered by three rivers:
- Pachnoi River
- Dhanshiri River
- Belsiri River
- Flora: Rosewood, jackfruit, silk cotton tree, Indian gooseberry, brahmi, Grasslands etc.
- Fauna: Tiger, Great Indian One-horned Rhinoceros, Asian Elephant, Wild Water Buffalo, Pigmy Hog, Great Pied Hornbill, Indian Roller, Assam Roofed Turtle, Bengal Monitor Lizard etc.
- Orang Tiger Reserve is the only stronghold of One-horned Rhinoceros on the north bank of the Brahmaputra river.
4. Kaziranga Tiger Reserve
- Kaziranga Tiger Reserve is located in the Golaghat, Karbi Anglong and Nagaon districts of Assam in India.
- The Kaziranga Tiger Reserve is primarily known for its Indian one-horned rhinoceros population.
- In 1950, Kaziranga was designated as a wildlife sanctuary, primarily to protect the Indian one-horned rhinoceros.
- In 1974, it was declared a national park.
- In 1985, Kaziranga National Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- In 2008-09, Kaziranga was declared a tiger reserve, known as Kaziranga Tiger Reserve.
- Area: Kaziranga Tiger Reserve spans an area of:
- Core area : 482.0385 sq km
- Buffer area : 573.8555 sq km
- Total : 1055.894 sq km
- River: Diphlu River, also known as the Diffalu River is a tributary of the Brahmaputra River and flows through the core area of the reserve. In addition to the Diphlu River, another tributary called the Moradifalu flows along the southern boundary of the reserve.
- Diphlu River
- Moradifalu River
- Flora: Some of the prominent vegetation types found in Kaziranga:
- Eastern Wet Alluvial Grasslands,
- Assam Alluvial Plains Semi-Evergreen Forests (Bombax ceiba, Dillenia indica, Lagerstroemia speciosa, and Ficus species),
- Tropical Moist Mixed Deciduous Forests (Terminalia arjuna, Lagerstroemia parviflora, Albizia procera, and Tectona grandis),
- Sandy “Chaurs”.
- Fauna: Tiger, Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros, Eastern Swamp Deer, Asian Elephant, Wild Water Buffalo, Hoolock Gibbon, Capped Langur, Gangetic River Dolphin, Great Indian Hornbill, Bengal Florican, Bengal Monitor, Common Indian Monitor, Assam Roofed Turtle etc.
- Kaziranga sanctuary hosts two-thirds of the world’s great One-horned Rhinoceroses.
- Kaziranga has the largest population of the Wild Water Buffalo anywhere accounting for about 57% of the world population.