Satpuda-Maikal (Kipling country) Landscape Project

The Satpuda-Maikal landscape is situated along the Satpuda and Maikal hill ranges in the Central India. It stretches over 500 km between the Melghat Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra and Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary in Chhattisgadh encompassing an area over 25,000 sq. kms.

The landscape includes five Tiger Reserves, five National Parks and seven Wildlife Sanctuaries. These PA's cover some of the finest tiger habitats and hold about 15% (Around 500 tigers) tiger population in India. Madhya Pradesh, the 'Tiger State' of India, covers the major portion of the landscape.

The landscape is rich in its biodiversity. Sal forests interspersed with grassland meadows alongwith teak, mahua and bamboo is the characteristic floral species of the landscape.

The faunal inventory includes some of the most charismatic and endangered faunal specie like tiger, leopard, sloth bear, gaur, barasingha, Asiatic water buffalo and wild dogs. Among these barasingha and water buffalo are endemic to this area. Over 300 bird species also have been listed from this area. The areas of the Satpuda and Maikal hill ranges are home to several tribal communities like Gonds, Baigas, Korkus, Bhils and Kols.

Mostly all the tribal communities in the past were hunters-gatherers, where as those on the foothills and on the fringes of forests were farmers. Support of these people is vital for saving the tigers and the landscape.


Why this area must be conserved?
The Satpuda range is a dispersal bridge between the Eastern Himalayas and the Western Ghats through which the species migrated from one area to the other. (Hora, 1949).

Though the project aims at improving the tiger conservation efforts, it would also provide protection to other endangered species such as gaur, barasingha, wild buffalo and wild dog. This landscape is one of the most productive habitats for tiger and its prey species in the subcontinent.

The improvement of the corridor habitats would benefit more to herbivores, such as gaur, wild buffalo and barasingha, which are wide ranging animals and requires large area due to their seasonal and local movements between foraging sites.

Threats to the Landscape

• Habitat degradation and fragmentation of the key corridors and tiger habitats due to increasing population.
• Inadequate infrastructure to combat poaching problem.
• Extensive forest fires.
• Man-Animal Conflict.
• Collection of Non-Timber Forest Produce.
• Conflict between conservation values and traditional practices.
• Increasing pressure of scrub-cattle.
• Lack of coordination between the field staff of the forest department and local communities.
• Poor advocacy of programme and legal support to fight wildlife offences.
  Inadequate inputs from research products for the management to adopt correct approaches for wildlife conservation.

WWF India Interventions

• WWF India has developed a long-term strategy and action plan for effective tiger conservation in Satpuda-Maikal Landscape. The strategy includes measures for the tiger conservation in the vast tiger habitats connecting the Protected Areas in the entire landscape.
• This was considered crucial, as Non-PA’s or Corridors connect the PA’s for effective gene flow, and serve as additional habitat for the dispersing tigers and other wildlife species from the PA’s.
• WWF India has identified nine such key corridors or linkages in the Satpuda-Maikal landscape. The Kanha-Achanakmar corridor is the priority linkage and the efforts for tiger conservation is on KANHA-ACHANAKMAR.

Conservation Action
Prioritized conservation issues and proposed actions for tiger conservation in Satpuda - Maikal (Kipling Country) landscape:

1. Augmenting and restoring key corridors and tiger habitats.
2. Strengthening anti-poaching efforts.
3. Capacity building for the field staff of the forest department and local communities.
4. Promoting awareness among all sectors.
5. Developing Policy research, advocacy and legal support.
6. Alleviating Man-Animal Conflict.
7. Reducing conflict between conservation values and traditional practices.
8. Checking forest fires.
9. Supporting research for management, monitoring and evaluation.
10. Checking population of unproductive cattle.
11. Developing an Integrated Information System.
12. Developing partnership with Institutions, NGOs and Government line agencies.

TCP Support to the PA's in the SML

• Tadoba-Andhari TR(*)
• Bandhavgarh NP
• Panna TR
• Pench Madhya Pradesh
• Pench MS
• Melghat TR
• Kanha TR
• Achanakmar WLS
• Phen WLS