3 more wildlife sanctuaries carved out in Maharashtra

3 more wildlife sanctuaries carved out in Maharashtra

                                                                                        

THE Stage Government notified three more wildlife sanctuaries Pranhita. lsapur and Sudhagad -recently, covering about 560 sq km forest in protected areas recently. While Pranhita and lsapur are situated in Vidarbha Sudhagad is located in Western Maharashtra.

Pranhita sanctuary is spread in 420 sq km in Alapalli upto Pranhita river and is situated adjoining to Kolamarka Conservation Reserve for wild buffaloes, critically endangered species. This sanctuary will serve as cushion to the wild buffaloes.

lsapur reservoir of Upper Painganga project is famous for water birds. The Central Government had laid a condition for develing sanctuary in this area while sanctioning this irrigation project. Similarly, the Supreme Court had ordered to carve out five new sanctuaries while allowing 10 reduce the sanctuary area for Greai Indian Bustards. Now, the 37.80 sq km area has been declared as a wildlife sanciuary.

The issue of declaring Tamhni. Sudhagad and Ramachi areas in western ghat located in Raigad and Pune districts as sanctuary was pending before the government since 1998. The government had already notified Tamhni wildlife sanctuary in 49.62 sq km in 2013. Now, it has formed the adjoining Sudhagad sanctuary, covering 101.49 sq km.

With the carving out of three more wildlife sanctuaries. Maharashtra has six national parks. 47 sanctuaries and four conservation reserves in the integrated protected area network . The total area of these 57 parks is 10.052 sq km. Out of this, areas of six national parks and 14 sanctuaries have been included in the six tiger reserves. The government has created 15 new protected areas by including 1.729 sq km area during the last five years.

Posted in: News 2014