Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve

The very eminent Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, situated in the Erode district of Coimbatore has recently won the internationally recognized TX2 award after the population of the tigers doubled in 2010. The article is based on the facts that helped the reserve bag such a prestigious position in India. 

Introduction:

Situated in the Erode district at a distance of around 89km from Coimbatore at the merging point of both the Eastern and the Western Ghats lies the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve which extensively covers 1422,610 sq. km of the entire forest land. The reserve is an extension of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. It was established in 2008 and gradually there was an increase in the stretch of the land making it the fourth largest Tiger Reserve in the state with 55 tigers in 2013. 

Body:

As per the reports of the survey being conducted, there were about 43 tigers in the reserve in 2010. However, the number rose to 80 consequently. The reserve was successful in developing an environment that allowed the big cats to wander from place to place in search of food, water, and new territorial land. Another reason for the growing population of the tigers was the presence of grasslands and mixed shrubs which were a common appetite for the herbivores, that kept them healthy, and they in turn served as natural prey for the tigers. Also, the migration process improves the chances of survival and the availability of sufficient resources suffices the survival needs.

The Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve was awarded the prestigious TX2 award recognized internationally for continuously striving to maintain the population of tigers and doubling the rates in a few years.

The TX2 award is awarded to those reserves that have successfully accomplished increasing the population of the tigers since 2010. It celebrates the extraordinary contributions made by several NGOs, government bodies, and the general communities to protect, preserve and strengthen the tiger population.

The reserve has also earned the national award for representing the highest increment in the Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE), for recording a steady growth of around 30-35% in the tiger population.

The reserve has also been appreciated for –

• Cutting the dependence on fuel-wood of the dwellers and implementation of the action for installing LPG connections to around 30 villages.
• Fodder was extracted out of the agricultural wastes.
• Banning illegal hunting by appointing anti-poaching groups.
• Minimizing the movement of humans and vehicles, particularly in and around the reserve,
• Stopping the increasing pilgrimage visits to the temples within the reserve, bathing, cooking, and prolonged stay for nearly 10-15 days.

The National Highway that connected Bengaluru and Coimbatore and extended for 25 km became a major obstruction to the passage of animals. However, this issue has been wiped off to a great extent where only 300 vehicles run through the route per day. This also contributes to the effective thriving of the tigers. 

India now accounts for about 75% of the world’s big cat’s population. This was a result of the great initiative “Project Tiger” undertaken by the Government of India in August 2021.

Conclusion:

The existence of these big cats helps in moderating the seasons, helps the rivers continue to flow, maintains the flora and fauna of our county, and also provides us with carbon sink areas. But it stands to be our responsibility to protect these rare animals so that they can breed and continue to maintain biodiversity. Thus, they contribute both directly and indirectly to our own very existence.