Kawal Tiger Reserve : Priority Recipient Site For Tiger Recovery
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) recently identified Kawal Tiger Reserve in Telangana as a ‘priority recipient site’ for tiger recovery.
- Kawal Tiger Reserve is located in the Telangana.
- It is along the banks of the river Godavari, forming part of the Deccan peninsula-central highlands.
- Geographically, the reserve is situated at the southernmost tip of the Central Indian Tiger Landscape, having linkages with the Tadoba-Andhari (Maharashtra) and Indravati (Chhattisgarh) tiger reserves.
- It is a major catchment of the river Godavari and local rivulets like Peddavagu and Kadam.
- It has diverse habitats comprising dense forests, grasslands, rivers, streams, and water bodies.
- Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest.
- It consists of teak along with bamboo and other species like Anogeissus latifolia, Mitragyna parviflora, Terminalia crenulata, Terminalia arjuna, Boswellia serrata, etc.
- It has a faunal diversity which is typical of the Deccan Plateau.
- The major wild animals include: tiger, nilgai, chousinga, chinkara, black buck, sambar, spotted deer, wild dog, wolf, jackal, fox, leopard, and the jungle cat.
