Recently, the news was fraught with reports about the carcass of a five-year-old tigress discovered in the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve situated in Uttar Pradesh. Making up parts of Pilibhit and Shahjahanpur districts, it was officially recognized as a Tiger Reserve in 2014. This reserve distinguished itself by securing the international TX2 award in 2020 for the notable achievement of doubling its tiger population within four years.
The Pilibhit Tiger Reserve is part of the Terai Arc Landscape (TAL) on the upper Gangetic Plain, its northern border runs alongside the Indo-Nepal frontier while the Sharada and Khakra rivers delineate the southern boundary.
The Diverse Ecosystem of the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve
The reserve hosts a diverse array of 127 animal species, 326 bird species, and more than 2,100 flowering plants. The wild animals inhabiting the region include species like the swamp deer, Bengal florican, leopard, and not surprisingly, the tiger. It stands out due to its high sal forests and grasslands dotted with water bodies.
Exploring Other Protected Areas in Uttar Pradesh
Besides the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, Uttar Pradesh is home to several other protected spaces such as Dudhwa National Park, National Chambal Sanctuary, Chandraprabha Wildlife Sanctuary, and Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary.
Delving into Terai Arc Landscape
Stretching over an 810 km distance between the Yamuna and Bhagmati Rivers, the Terai Arc Landscape encompasses the Shivalik hills, bhabhar areas, and the Terai flood plains. The Bhagmati River straddles south-central Nepal and northern Bihar in India.
The bhabhar region, a narrow belt measuring 8 to 16 km in width, lies parallel to the slopes of the Shiwaliks. It comprises parts of the Indian Northern Plains where pebbles are deposited by rivers descending from the mountains. South of this belt, the streams and rivers re-emerge forming a wet, swampy, and marshy region known as Terai.
The Terai Arc Landscape extends across the Indian states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and covers the low lying hills of Nepal. This landscape houses prominent Tiger Reserves and Protected Areas such as Corbett Tiger Reserve, Rajaji National Park, Dudhwa Tiger Reserve, and Valmiki Tiger Reserve. A total of 13 Protected Areas (9 in India and 4 in Nepal) make up this landscape, spread over an area of 49,500 km2, with 30,000 km2 of this lying within India.
The Flagship Species of the Terai Arc Landscape
This landscape is renowned for being home to three flagship species – the Bengal tiger, the greater one-horned rhino, and the Asian elephant, underscoring the rich biodiversity of the region. These species represent a specific type of wildlife that symbolizes the health and diversity of their habitat. Their presence is indicative of the overall well-being of their respective ecosystems. Thus, the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve remains a significant bastion for wildlife conservation efforts in northern India.
