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Sahyadri is Maha’s 4th tiger reserve


The Maharashtra government has offered a gift to conservationists by notifying the Sahyadri tiger reserve . It combines the Chandoli National Park and Koyana Wildlife Sanctuary which lies along the crest of the Western Ghats. This will be Maharashtra’s fourth tiger reserve and the second biggest in the state after Melghat. The other two reserves are in Tadoba and Pench. As per the 2007 census, the Kolhapur wildlife division has nine tigers and 66 leopards. “Now funds for tigers will start coming from next year and it will benefit the stakeholders in the form of eco-development schemes and ecotourism. We’ve also started the process to identify a buffer zone for Sahyadri, which is mandatory under the amended Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) 1972,’’ a state government official said. A threemember expert committee was formed by the state government for identification and delineation of critical tiger habitats. The Sahyadri reserve will consist of 740 sq km. It will include Chandoli and Koyana.

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