Tiger Reserves in India: Complete List, Significance, Schemes, Map, and Names

Tigers in India:  The population of Tigers in India is around 70% of the global Tiger population. Tiger is the national animal of India. There are many names to call a tiger in India like Baagh, Sher, or Puli. The Royal Bengal Tiger, Panthera Tigris Tigris is the main big cat that is found in the entire geography of India excluding some places like Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Kutch and The Thar Desert. Indian Tigers have endangered status in the IUCN red data book. Tigers have the largest body size among all the big cats. After seeing a terrible decline in the Nationwide tiger population the Project Tiger was launched in 1973 to protect and preserve the ferocious Big Cat of India. Many Tiger reserves have been made since 1973 to protect the territory of the tigers so that they can thrive in their natural habitat. 

Tiger Reserves in India 2024:

In 1973 Royal Bengal Tiger replaced Lion as national animal with the establishment of Project Tiger. India has 54 Tiger Reserves and 54th Tiger reserve is Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve. According to the 2022 Tiger Census there are a total of 3,167 tigers present in India which is almost 75% of the total number of tigers in 1973 which was 268 tigers. 75,790 square kilometers of the country’s forest area is reserved for 54 tiger reserves which is around 2.3% of the total geographic area of India. Tiger reserves have a very crucial role to play in protection and preservation of tiger populations as well as their habitats. Tiger reserves are important in the view of tourism opportunities for the place. The tiger reserves not only serve the purpose to protect tigers but also important to conserve overall biodiversity of the area.

 

National Tiger Conservation Authority

The National Tiger Conservation Authority was set up in 2005 on the basis of recommendations of the Tiger Task Force. Tiger Task force was set up under the Prime Minister of India to take actions against the tiger disappearance in the country. It is a statutory body of the government of India. It is under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. It was established under the provisions of Wildlife (Protection) Act,1972. The act was amended in 2006 to strengthen tiger conservation and give powers and describe functions of the National Tiger Conservation Authority. Here are some functions of National Tiger Conservation Authority:

1. The National Tiger Conservation Strategy and Action Plan proper formulation and implementation.

2. The management caretaking of Tiger Reserves 

3. Conducting research on Tigers and their habitats.

4. Increasing awareness on protection and preservation of Tigers. 

Tiger Reserves in India 2024 List

SNo.	State/UT	Name Of Tiger Reserve	Total area( sq. kms.)
1	Andhra Pradesh	Nagarjunsagar Srisailam	3296.31
2	Arunachal Pradesh	Namdapha	2052.82
3	Arunachal Pradesh	Kamlang Tiger Reserve	783
4	Arunachal Pradesh	Pakke	1198.45
5	Assam	Manas	3150.92
6	Assam	Nameri	344
7	Assam	Orang Tiger Reserve	492.46
8	Assam	Kaziranga	1173.58
9	Bihar	Valmiki	899.38
10	Chattisgarh	Udanti-Sitanadi	1842.54
11	Chattisgarh	Achanakmar	914.01
12	Chhattisgarh	Indravati	2799.07
13	Jharkhand	Palamau	1129.93
14	Karnataka	Bandipur	1456.3
15	Karnataka	Bhadra	1064.29
16	Karnataka	Dandeli-Anshi	1097.51
17	Karnataka	Nagarahole	1205.76
18	Karnataka	Biligiri Ranganatha Temple	574.82
19	Kerala	Periyar	925
20	Kerala	Parambikulam	643.66
21	Madhya Pradesh	Kanha	2051.79
22	Madhya Pradesh	Pench	1179.63
23	Madhya Pradesh	Bandhavgarh	1598.1
24	Madhya Pradesh	Panna	1578.55
25	Madhya Pradesh	Satpura	2133.30
26	Madhya Pradesh	Sanjay-Dubri	1674.50
27	Maharashtra	Melghat	2768.52
28	Maharashtra	Tadoba-Andhari	1727.59
29	Maharashtra	Pench	741.22
30	Maharashtra	Sahyadri	1165.57
31	Maharashtra	Nawegaon-Nagzira	653.67
32	Maharashtra	Bor	138.12
33	Mizoram	Dampa	988
34	Odisha	Similipal	2750
35	Odisha	Satkosia	963.87
36	Rajasthan	Ranthambore	1411.29
37	Rajasthan	Sariska	1213.34
38	Rajasthan	Mukundra Hills	759.99
39	Tamil Nadu	Kalakad-Mundanthurai	1601.54
40	Tamil Nadu	Anamalai	1479.87
41	Tamil Nadu	Mudumalai	688.59
42	Tamil Nadu	Sathyamangalam	1408.4
43	Telangana	Kawal	2019.12
44	Telangana	Amrabad	2611.39
45	Uttar Pradesh	Dudhwa	2201.77
46	Uttar Pradesh	Pilibhit	730.24
47	Uttar Pradesh	Amangarh (buffer of Corbett TR)	80.6
	Uttarakhand	Corbett	1288.31
48	Uttarakhand	Rajaji TR	1075.17
49	West Bengal	Sunderbans	2584.89
50	West Bengal	Buxa	757.90
51	Tamil Nadu	Srivilliputhur Megamalai	1016.57
52.	Rajasthan	Ramgarh Vishdhari Wildlife Sanctuary	252
53.	Chhattisgarh	Guru Ghasidas National Park(Sanjay National Park)	466.67
54	Madhya Pradesh	Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve	1,414

54th Tiger Reserve Veerangana Durgavati

In sept 2023 the Government of Madhya Pradesh established the Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve as 7th Tiger Reserve of the state and 54th Tiger reserve of India. The location of this newly formed tiger reserve covers districts like Damoh, Sagar and Narsinghpur. It covers 2,339 square kilometers of area. It lies in the Durgavati Wildlife Sanctuary and Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary. To facilitate the natural moments of Tigers across Panna Tiger Reserve and Durgavati Tiger Reserve a green corridor will be developed. Some parts of Yamuna and Narmada River basins fall under the tiger reserve. The Singorgarh Fort is situated in the tiger reserve. The vegetation of the reserve is dry deciduous and Teak, Ber, Saja, Amla and Dhaora trees are found in abundance. Other than tiger, the Reserve is famous for Chinkara, Chital, Black Buck, Sambhar, Nilgai, striped Hyena, Indian Fox, Leopard, Wolf, Jackal, Barking Deer and common Langur.

 

First Tiger Reserve in India

Jim Corbett National park, earlier known as Hailey National park, is the first Tiger Reserve of India. It was named after the famous conservationist and naturalist Jim Corbett. Jim Corbett hunted the Tigers who used to eat men in Kumaon, Uttarakhand from 1907- 1939. Jim Corbett National Park was selected to inaugurate the Save the Tigers project in India. It was launched in 1973 under the Project Tiger to conserve the Tigers and conserve and balance the ecosystem. In the tiger reserve 110 different tree species, 50 mammal species, around 580 bird species and 25 reptile species are found. The terrain of the Tiger Reserve is variable with rivers, ridges and streams. Many notable animals like  Asiatic Elephant, Leopards, Wild Boar, Sloth Bear, Jackal, Mongoose, and Crocodile are found apart from tigers. 

 

Top 10 Largest Tiger Reserves in India

Top 10 Largest Tiger Reserves in India
S. No.	Tiger Reserve	State	Total Area (sq. km.)	Features
1	Nagarjunsagar Srisailam	Andhra Pradesh, Telangana	3296.31	One of the largest tiger reserves in India, spread over 5 districts, home to Bengal tigers, leopards, pangolins, Indian rock pythons, etc.
2	Manas National Park	Assam	3150.92	UNESCO World Heritage Site, Tiger Reserve, Elephant Reserve, Biosphere Reserve, known for One-horned Rhinoceros, Indian Tigers, Asiatic Elephants,  Hoolock Gibbons, Clouded leopards, Barking Deer, etc.
3	Melghat Tiger Reserve	Maharashtra	2768.52	Prime habitat for tigers, biodiversity repository, catchment area for five major rivers.
4	Similipal National Park	Odisha	2750	National Park and Tiger Reserve, rich biodiversity, cool breeze from dense forests, Royal Bengal Tigers, small waterfalls.
5	Amrabad Tiger Reserve	Telangana	2611.39	Located in Nallamala hills, home to Chenchu tribe, diverse biodiversity including Bengal Tiger, leopard, pangolin, Mugger Crocodiles, Indian Rock Python, numerous bird species.
6	Sunderbans Tiger Reserve	West Bengal	2584.89	Largest delta in the world, UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for Sundari trees, Royal Bengal Tigers, conservation under Project Tiger.
7	Dudhwa Tiger Reserve	Uttar Pradesh	2201.77	Located on India-Nepal border, rich flora and fauna, habitat for Tigers, Rhinos, wild elephants, aquatic animals, enriched wetlands.
8	Satpura Tiger Reserve	Madhya Pradesh	2133.30	Located south of River Narmada, rich in biodiversity, home to various species including sambar, leopard, chital,wild boar, nilgai etc.
9	Namdapha Tiger Reserve	Arunachal Pradesh	2052.82	Unique for hosting four Feline species: Tiger, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Clouded Leopard, and various Lesser cats.
10	Kanha Tiger Reserve	Madhya Pradesh	2051.79	Established in 1955, significant population of Royal Bengal tigers, Indian leopards, sloth bears, barasingha, Indian wild dogs.

 

Tiger Reserves of India Map

Schemes related to Tiger Reserves in India

Important Schemes for Tiger Reserve in India
Scheme	Objectives
Project Tiger	– Established in 1973 to support the preservation of tigers in India.
	– Provides federal funding to tiger range States for in-situ tiger conservation in selected tiger reserves.
	– Overseen by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
Tiger Census	– Conducted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
	– Assisted by state forest agencies and conservation NGOs.
	– Aims to estimate the tiger population in India through a four-year census cycle.
M-STrIPES	– Introduced in 2010, a software-based monitoring system for tiger reserves.
	– Monitoring System for Tigers – Intensive Protection and Ecological Status (M-STrIPES) enhances patrolling and oversight.
	– Focuses on the conservation of critically endangered Bengal tigers.
St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation	– Declared during the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010.
	– Committed by 13 nations, including India, to protect tigers worldwide and double their population in the wild.
	– TX2 chosen as the initiative’s motto, representing the goal of doubling the global tiger population by 2022.

 

Tiger Reserves in India Significance

Tiger Reserves are very important for India as India is home to almost 70% of World’s tiger population. According to the IUCN red data book Tiger is an endangered animal it needs to be protected and preserved. Tigers are the top most consumer of the ecosystem. Without a top most consumer any ecosystem will fall apart due to the increase or decrease in the population of one or two other consumers and even producers. Tigers are the crucial part of any ecosystem that’s why they need to be protected and by making more and more Tiger Reserves the government is taking steps towards the protection of tigers. 

 

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