Debrigarh awaits tiger reserve status
The NTCA's approval came in Jan-end, two months after a Royal Bengal Tiger walked on its own into the sanctuary, which had no big cat.
Official sources said it will be notified after the expert committee submits its report. After that, Debrigarh will become the third tiger reserve in Odisha after Similipal and Satkosia. According to the wildlife wing, three experts chosen for the committee are former NTCA member secretary Anup Nayak, who will be the chairman, and two members, Bivash Pandav, a scientist at the Wildlife Institute of India, and Hema Kumar Nayak, a former professor of zoology at Gangadhar Meher University, Sambalpur.
"The committee members have been selected, and an official order for this will be issued soon. The expert committee will start its work after the order, and based on their evaluation, the govt will decide on the notification," said chief wildlife warden Prem Kumar Jha.
"After the notification, Debrigarh will be the first tiger reserve in western Odisha. The reserve, as per the recommendation of NTCA in the approval, will have a total area of 804 sq km with a sanctuary area of 353 sq km without human habitations as the core.
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Inside the core area, there will be no revenue village," a wildlife officer said.
Once Debrigarh becomes a reserve, conservation strategies and tiger habitat management will change with more areas added and more funds allocated. Wildlife officials said one of the primary benefits of Debrigarh getting reserve status is strengthening biodiversity and better carbon sequestration. "The other benefits are a boost to the local economy of three districts by increasing employment prospects and inflow of foreign currency due to increased tourism," the officer added.
Sources said as many as seven tiger reserves in India have a core area below 300 sq km, but Debrigarh has 353 sq km. Considering Debrigarh habitat positioning itself in an advantageous position in terms of water source and prey density, NTCA recommended prey supplementation (prey translocation) that can, in the long run, help sustain big cats. Officials said the state govt will conduct gram sabha in 54 buffer villages for the declaration of Debrigarh tiger reserve.
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