The administrative control of the Buffer Area now handed over to the Bor Tiger Reserve
Maharashtra's government gives the Bor Tiger Reserve administrative control over the buffer zone.
by Nagpur Trends Team | Published on 2023-07-06 08:56:15
The Government of Maharashtra has declared its decision to transfer administrative authority of the buffer region of Bor to the Bor Tiger Reserve, which is a significant move motivated by the increasing tiger population in Vidarbha. This step is in compliance with the Tiger Conservation Plan, which, following revisions to the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 on September 4, 2006, requires notice of buffer zones surrounding tiger reserves.
After conducting Management Effectiveness Evaluations of Bor in 2018 and 2022, the State Government decided to give the administration of the reserve unified control. With this new arrangement, the 138.12 sq km core area and the 678.14 sq km buffer area of the reserve will be under the management of the Bor.
Specifically, the Wardha Territorial Forest Division was in charge of the Bor Tiger Reserve's 451.99 sq km buffer region, while the Nagpur Territorial Forest Division had jurisdiction over the 226.15 sq km of that area. As a result of this government decision, the Bor Tiger Reserve is now in charge of managing the entire 678.14 sq km buffer area.
The administrative leader of the Bor Tiger Reserve (BTR) will be the Field Director of the Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR). The administrative tasks of the buffer area will be supervised by the Deputy Director of BTR, who will have an office in Wardha. A total of 816.26 sqkm, including the Bor Dharan, New Bor, Kavdas (Buffer), Hingni (Buffer), and Bangdapur (Buffer) Forest Ranges, are under the Deputy Director's jurisdiction.
The Nagpur Forest Division has been reorganized to span an area of 1,271.32 sqkm thanks to the Forest Department's handover of 88.43 sqkm to the BTR as part of the restructuring process.
Excluding the Bor Tiger Reserve, the Nagpur Forest Division now comprises Narkhed (116.83 sqkm), Katol (95.09 sqkm), Kondhali (130.07 sqkm), Hingna (106.69 sqkm), North Umred (267.96 sqkm), South Umred (127.665 sqkm), Seminary Hills (9.30 sqkm), Kalmeshwar (49.05 sqkm), Khapa (58.85 sqkm), Deolapar (104.66 sqkm), Paoni (116.29 sqkm), Ramtek (88.19 sqkm), and Kamptee (0.68 sqkm) forest areas.