Make way for the tiger

Guwahati, Aug. 12: The tiger reserve in Kaziranga will be spread over an area of 1,030 square km and will include 482 square km of core area. The rest 548 square km will be a buffer zone.

The Centre announced last year that it was considering setting up a tiger reserve in Kaziranga.

The demarcation of boundary was announced in a notification on August 3 by Dispur. The biggest tiger reserve in the Northeast is in Manas with a total area of 2,840 square km. Tiger reserves in Namdapha and Nameri cover 1,985 and 344 square km respectively.

“With the notification, the national park has now become a full-fledged tiger reserve and a detailed plan for its development can now be sent to the Centre to avail funds,” a senior official said.

The core area comprises Kaziranga National Park and the first, second, third and fifth addition areas while the buffer zone comprises the fourth and sixth addition areas, Kukurakata reserve forest, Panbari reserve forest, Bagser reserve forest, Laokhowa and Burhachapori wildlife sanctuaries.

The tiger reserve will be spread across Golaghat, Nagaon and Sonitpur districts and falls under the Eastern Assam Wildlife and Nagaon Wildlife divisions.

“The core area should be totally protected while limited use of buffer area can be allowed,” a forest official said.

“For this, we need the people’s cooperation. They have to stop exploiting forestland that falls under the core area. The buffer zone too requires considerable curtailment of use of forest products.”

Funding of the tiger reserve will also help conserve rhinos and other animals in the national park. “This is a big opportunity to get huge funds and the schemes that will be submitted should be without loopholes.”

According to the 2000 census, the number of tigers in Kaziranga was 86 and sources said the number is steadily increasing.

According to the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006, no alteration in a tiger reserve boundary will be allowed except on the recommendation of the Tiger Conservation Authority. Any such plan has also to be approved by the National Board for Wildlife.

The act also states that no state government has the power to denotify a tiger reserve except in public interest with their approval.

The Tiger Conservation Authority at the Centre was set up under the act.