Buxa Tiger Reserve Tigress Translocation and Habitat Recovery
Source:Indian Express ↗
কেন এটি গুরুত্বপূর্ণ
The reintroduction of tigers into Buxa Tiger Reserve highlights India's active species recovery and landscape-level conservation strategies, offering key insights into translocation science, habitat restoration, and mitigating human-wildlife conflict in fragmented forest corridors.
সারসংক্ষেপ
A tigress brought from Bihar's Valmiki Tiger Reserve has been successfully released into West Bengal's Buxa Tiger Reserve, marking the formal kickoff of a structured tiger reintroduction and recovery program in the reserve after decades without a resident population. Supported by the NTCA and WII since 2018, the project incorporates prey augmentation, grassland restoration, and cross-border landscape connectivity.
মূল বিষয়
- A tigress (T138) from Bihar's Valmiki Tiger Reserve was released into West Bengal's Buxa Tiger Reserve, marking the beginning of a phased tiger reintroduction program.
- Buxa Tiger Reserve was declared a tiger reserve in 1983 but witnessed a prolonged absence of a stable resident tiger population due to habitat fragmentation and prey decline.
- Collaborative recovery efforts since 2018 by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) included releasing over 800 chital and restoring grasslands.
- The initiative emphasizes landscape-level connectivity with Assam, Bhutan, and North Bengal, alongside community-centric eco-development and conflict mitigation.
গুরুত্বপূর্ণ শব্দ
National Tiger Conservation Authority
A statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change established in 2005 under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, responsible for managing Project Tiger and tiger conservation across India.
UPSC context
UPSC Prelims/Mains (GS Paper III): Important statutory bodies, environmental conservation, and wildlife management policies.
Wildlife Institute of India
A premier autonomous research institution under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, providing scientific advice and research inputs for wildlife conservation and protected area management.
UPSC context
UPSC Prelims/Mains (GS Paper III): Biodiversity, institutions involved in wildlife research, and conservation planning.
Buxa Tiger Reserve
A protected area located in West Bengal's Alipurduar district, nestled against the border with Bhutan, currently undergoing a structured tiger reintroduction and recovery program.
UPSC context
UPSC Prelims: Important national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and tiger reserves in India and their geographical locations.
Valmiki Tiger Reserve
The sole tiger reserve in Bihar, located in the West Champaran district along the India-Nepal border, which serves as a vital source population for wildlife translocations.
UPSC context
UPSC Prelims: Location-based questions on tiger reserves, protected areas, and interstate wildlife translocations.
Tiger Augmentation and Recovery Project
A targeted scientific initiative aimed at restoring viable, self-sustaining tiger populations in reserves that have lost their resident big cat populations, incorporating prey augmentation and habitat restoration.
UPSC context
UPSC Prelims/Mains (GS Paper III): Wildlife conservation strategies, species recovery programs, and Project Tiger initiatives.
প্রিলিমস ফাঁদ
Buxa Tiger Reserve has witnessed a prolonged absence of a stable resident tiger population despite being established in 1983.
Buxa has historically recorded transient tigers or pugmarks from neighboring Bhutan/Assam, leading aspirants to mistakenly assume it always had a stable resident breeding population.
সংযুক্ত স্থির ধারণা
What are the statutory powers and composition of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)?
- Statutory Basis: Statutory body established under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 following the Tiger Task Force recommendations in 2005.
- Composition: Chaired by the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change with an expert Vice-Chairperson.
- Core Functions: Approves the tiger conservation plan prepared by State Governments and provides statutory muscle to Project Tiger.
আন্তঃবিষয় প্যাটার্ন
Transboundary conservation meets strategic border corridors
Buxa's linkages with Bhutan and Assam demonstrate how conservation corridors overlap with strategic international border management and India's Act East policy frameworks.
Protected area relocation vs forest rights
Voluntary village relocations from core areas highlight the complex intersection of the Wildlife Protection Act and constitutional rights of forest-dwelling communities.
Tiger translocations and NTCA's statutory role are high-yield; expect a statement-based question linking Buxa to Valmiki.
সংযুক্ত PYQ · 3
সংযুক্ত PYQ · 3
- 2026PrelimsGS1
With reference to Madhav National Park, which of the following statements is/are correct ? 1. It was declared a Tiger Reserve in India in 2025. 2. Sakhya Sagar, which is designated as a Ramsar Site, is situated within this National Park. 3. Its area is shared between Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Select the answer using the code given below :
- 2017PrelimsGS1
In India, if a species of tortoise is declared protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, what does it imply?
- 2020PrelimsGS1
Among the following Tiger Reserves, which one has the largest area under "Critical Tiger Habitat"?
