Satkosia Tiger Reserve:
The Odisha government recently floated a tender for the construction of a high-level bridge over the Mahanadi river near the ecologically sensitive Satkosia tiger reserve.
- It is located in the heartland of Odisha and spread over four districts, viz. Angul, Cuttack, Boudh, and Nayagarh.
- It comprises two adjoining sanctuaries, namely Baisipalli Sanctuary and Satkosia Gorge Sanctuary.
- It covers an area of 1136.70 sq.km, including a buffer of 440.26 sq.km.
- The area is also a part of the Mahanadi Elephant Reserve.
- Satkosia is the meeting point of two biogeographic regions of India: the Deccan Peninsula and the Eastern Ghats.
- The terrain is hilly with moderate to steep slopes and narrow valleys.
- The river Mahanadi flows through the valleys in the middle of the reserve.
- The average elevation of the terrain varies between 37 m and 932 m, with the lowest point being at Katrang and the highest point being at Sunakhania.
- The forest vegetation comprises North Indian tropical moist deciduous forests and Moist peninsular low-level sal.
- The main tree species is sal, which grows in gregarious formations.
- Other associate species are Asan (Terminalia alata), Dhaura (Anogeissus latifolia), Bamboo (Dendrocalamus strictus), and Simal (Bombax ceiba).
Fauna: - The flagship species among the fauna include tiger, leopard, elephant, spotted deer, sambar, chowsingha, barking deer, bison, wild dog, sloth bear, jackal, giant squirrel, and porcupine.
- It is the natural habitat of two endangered species, viz., the freshwater crocodile and the gharial.
