Context:
The Karnataka Forest Department recently started collecting green tax, Rs 10 from two-wheelers and Rs 20 from four-wheelers, entering BR Hills through BRT Tiger Reserve.
Relevance:
GS III: Environment and Ecology
About Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (BRT) Tiger Reserve:
Location:
- The BRT Tiger Reserve is situated in the Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka State, India.
Name Origin:
- The reserve is named after ‘BILIGIRI,’ referring to the white rocky cliff in the region. It houses a temple dedicated to Lord ‘VISHNU,’ locally known as ‘Rangaswamy.’
Bio-geographical Significance:
- Positioned strategically between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats in South India, the reserve serves as a unique bio-geographical entity.
- Originally established as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1974, it attained the status of a Tiger Reserve in 2011.
Vegetation:
- The forests within the BRT Tiger Reserve primarily feature a dry deciduous type. Additionally, there are interspersed patches of moist deciduous, semi-evergreen, evergreen, and shola at different altitudes.
Flora:
- Notable plant species within the reserve include Anogeissus latifolia, Dalbergia paniculata, Grewia teliaefolia, Terminalia alata, Terminalia bellirica, Terminalia paniculata, among others.
Fauna:
- The diverse fauna in the Tiger Reserve includes iconic species such as tigers, elephants, leopards, wild dogs, bisons, sambars, spotted deer, barking deer, four-horned antelope, sloth bears, wild boars, common langurs, bonnet macaques, as well as a variety of reptil
