State PCS - Rajasthan (RAS)

• 06 May 2025

Cheetah Conservation Corridor

Why in News? 

Rajasthan has become a part of India's first inter-state Cheetah conservation corridor along with Madhya Pradesh. 

Key Points 

• About the Protected Area: 
  • The total area of the corridor is 17,000 sq km , out of which 10,500 sq km is spread in Madhya Pradesh and 6,500 sq km in Rajasthan . 
  • This corridor includes Kuno National Park in Sheopur district of Madhya Pradesh as the main site, where cheetah reintroduction project is being implemented. 
  • Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary, located on the banks of Chambal River in Mandsaur district, has been selected to develop the second habitat for cheetahs in Madhya Pradesh. 
  • Districts like Kota, Bundi, Baran, Jhalawar, Sawai Madhopur, Karauli and Chittorgarh of Rajasthan are included in this project . 
  • In future, it is proposed to include the forest areas of Jhansi and Lalitpur of Uttar Pradesh in this corridor. 
• Institutional support: 
  • The project has technical guidance from the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII). 
  • Experts have described this project as a unique model of wildlife conservation in Asia, which can become an example for other countries. 
•   Features of the Corridor:  
  • This corridor will facilitate natural and uninterrupted migration of cheetahs between protected areas . 
  • It establishes a strategic wildlife connectivity between the two states, the first of its kind initiative in India. 
  • The goal of the project is restoration and conservation of grassland-based ecosystems . 
  • The corridor is being designed to bring together the friendly, safe and natural habitats of the cheetahs. 

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) 

• Introduction: 
  • It is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change . 
  • It was established in the year 2005 with the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force . 
  • It was constituted under the enabling provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2006 to strengthen tiger conservation . 
• Objective: 
  • To provide statutory powers to Project Tiger so that its directions are legally complied with. 
  • To promote Centre-State accountability in the management of tiger reserves by providing a basis for MoUs with States within a federal framework . 
  • Ensuring oversight by Parliament . 
  • Addressing the livelihood interests of local people in the areas around Tiger Reserves.