Previous Year Question

A Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH) is the legally notified core area of a tiger reserve.

It is protected for tiger conservation under the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

Its objective is to provide an adequate and secure area for tiger breeding, prey species, habitat and ecological processes.

A Critical Tiger Habitat is different from the buffer or peripheral area of a tiger reserve. Therefore, the total area of a tiger reserve and its CTH area should not be treated as identical.

The Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve has a Critical Tiger Habitat of approximately 2,595.72 square kilometres, the largest among the given options.

This tiger reserve extends across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and is located in the Nallamala Hills of the Eastern Ghats.

The Krishna River flows through this region, and the Nagarjunsagar and Srisailam reservoirs form part of its wider landscape.

Apart from the tiger, its forests support leopards, sloth bears, wild dogs, chital, sambar, nilgai and several other species.

Corbett Tiger Reserve is located in Uttarakhand and has a Critical Tiger Habitat of approximately 821.99 square kilometres.

Ranthambore Tiger Reserve is located in Rajasthan and has a Critical Tiger Habitat of approximately 1,113.36 square kilometres.

Sunderbans Tiger Reserve is located in the tidal mangrove region of West Bengal and has a Critical Tiger Habitat of approximately 1,699.62 square kilometres.

The tigers of the Sunderbans are adapted to a distinctive habitat of saline mangroves, tidal rivers and marshy islands.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority and the respective State governments play important roles in the protection and management of tiger reserves and Critical Tiger Habitats.

Notification of a CTH aims not only to protect tigers but also to conserve their entire habitat, prey base and associated biodiversity.