Previous Year Question
Consider the following areas:
Bandipur
Bhitarkanika
Manas
Sunderbans
Which of the above are Tiger Reserves?
1 and 2 only
1, 3 and 4 only
2, 3 and 4 only
1, 2, 3 and 4
Correct Answer: B
Detailed Solution
Among the given areas, Bandipur, Manas and Sunderbans are Tiger Reserves, whereas Bhitarkanika is not a Tiger Reserve.
Bandipur Tiger Reserve is located in Karnataka and forms part of the wider forest landscape of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
Bandipur was included among the initial Tiger Reserves under Project Tiger in 1973.
It is connected with the Nagarhole, Mudumalai and Wayanad protected areas, forming an extensive inter-State wildlife landscape.
This connectivity is important for the movement of large mammals, including tigers and elephants, and for maintaining gene flow between separate populations.
Bandipur contains dry and moist deciduous forests and scrub vegetation. Tiger, Asian elephant, leopard, dhole, gaur, chital and sambar are its prominent animals.
Manas Tiger Reserve is located in the Himalayan foothills of Assam near the border with Bhutan.
Manas is one of the initial Tiger Reserves established under Project Tiger, and its landscape is connected with the Royal Manas National Park of Bhutan.
Manas has several conservation designations, including National Park, Wildlife Sanctuary, Biosphere Reserve and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
It supports several rare species, including the tiger, Asian elephant, gaur, golden langur, pygmy hog and hispid hare.
Sunderbans Tiger Reserve is located in the tidal mangrove region of the Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna delta in West Bengal.
Sunderbans was also included among the initial Tiger Reserves under Project Tiger in 1973.
Its tigers are adapted to a distinctive habitat consisting of saline water, tidal rivers, creeks and marshy mangrove islands.
The Sunderbans mangroves also play an important role in protecting coastal areas from cyclones, storm surges and coastal erosion.
Bhitarkanika is not a Tiger Reserve. It is a mangrove, estuarine and wetland ecosystem located in Odisha.
Bhitarkanika National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary are particularly famous for the saltwater crocodile, mangrove vegetation, waterbirds and the coastal landscape associated with Olive Ridley turtles.
An area may receive multiple conservation designations, such as National Park, Wildlife Sanctuary or Tiger Reserve; these designations are not identical.