In a landmark decision, the state cabinet on Tuesday approved the first tiger reserve of Bundelkhand to promote tiger conservation in the state.
At a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the cabinet approved to notify Ranipur Tiger Reserve, under section 38(v) of the Wildlife protection act 1972, spanning across 52,989.863 hectares (around 530 sqkm) including 29,958.863 hectares of buffer area and 23,031.00 hectares of core area which was already notified as Ranipur wildlife sanctuary in Chitrakoot.
This will be UP’s fourth tiger reserve after Dudhwa in Lakhimpur, Pilibhit reserve in Pilibhit and Amangarh in Bijnor. The cabinet also decided to establish Ranipur Tiger Conservation Foundation along with sanctioning of requisite posts.
The Ranipur Tiger Reserve area covered by Northern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forests is Home to megafauna comprising tigers, leopards, bears, spotted deers, sambhar, chinkaras and diverse avifauna, reptilians and other mammals.
The establishment of Ranipur reserve will be a turning point for the conservation of wildlife in Bundelkhand along with opening of eco tourism potential of the area creating immense EMPLOYMENT opportunities.
The approval for the reserve from the (NTCA) had come long back, but it was kept waiting for one or the other reason, said sources in the forest department.