Context:
A four-day bird survey conducted by the forest department has identified 231 species of birds in the Periyar Tiger Reserve, of which 11 species of birds were not recorded during the previous surveys.
Relevance:
GS III: Environment and Ecology
Dimensions of the Article:
- About Periyar Tiger Reserve:
- About the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
About Periyar Tiger Reserve:
- Periyar Tiger Reserve is situated in the Western Ghats of Kerala, India.
- It covers an area of 925 square kilometers.
Wildlife:
- It was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1978 and is home to around 40 tigers.
- Other animals found here include elephants, wild pigs, sambar, gaur, mouse deer, dole or barking deer, Indian wild dog, and various species of primates.
- The rare lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri Langur, Gee’s Golden Langur, Common Langur and Bonnet Macaque are also found here.
- Periyar Tiger Reserve is also being considered as the habitat of the elusive Nilgiri Tahr.
Vegetation:
- The terrain of the reserve is hilly and undulating with a maximum altitude of 2016 meters.
- The vegetation consists of tropical evergreen, semi-evergreen, and moist deciduous forests.
- More than 171 species of grasses have been recorded in the reserve.
- Some of the important flora found in the reserve include teak, mangoes, rosewood, jamun, jacarandas, terminalias, tamarind, royal ponciana, and bamboos.
Local Communities:
- Periyar Tiger Reserve is home to many tribal communities including the Mannans and the Palians.
Rivers:
- The reserve is named after the River Periyar, which has its origin deep inside the reserve.
- Two main rivers, Pamba and Periyar, drain the reserve.
About the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
- The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was established in December 2005 following a recommendation of the Tiger Task Force, constituted by the Prime Minister of India for reorganised management of Project Tiger and the many Tiger Reserves in India.
- The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 was amended in 2006 to provide for constituting the National Tiger Conservation Authority responsible for implementation of the Project Tiger plan to protect endangered tigers.
- The National Tiger Conservation Authority is set up under the Chairmanship of the Minister for Environment and Forests.
- The Authority will have eight experts or professionals having qualifications and experience in wildlife conservation and welfare of people including tribals, apart from three Members of Parliament of whom two will be elected by the House of the People and one by the Council of States.
- The Authority, interalia, would lay down normative standards, guidelines for tiger conservation in the Tiger Reserves, apart from National Parks and Sanctuaries.
- It would provide information on protection measures including future conservation plan, tiger estimation, disease surveillance, mortality survey, patrolling, report on untoward happenings and such other management aspects as it may deem fit, including future plan for conservation.
- The Authority would also facilitate and support tiger reserve management in the States through eco-development and people’s participation as per approved management plans, and support similar initiatives in adjoining areas consistent with the Central and state laws.
- The Tiger Conservation Authority would be required to prepare an Annual Report, which would be laid in the Parliament along with the Audit Report.
- Every 4 years the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) conducts a tiger census across India.
-Source: The Hindu
