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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.