Tiger Reserves in India 2023, List, Map, Names, Schemes

As per the recent news on Tiger Census 2022 once elusive bright orange fur and distinctive low rumbling scream of the tigers are no longer so uncommon, with the 2022 tiger census reporting 3,167 tigers, or nearly 75% of the total number. In 1973, when there were just 268 tigers left, Project Tiger began, beginning a wonderful tale of conservation. According to a government estimate, 53 tiger reserves currently together preserve an area of 75,796.83 sq km, or over 2.3% of the country’s geographic area, up from the original nine tiger reserves that covered 18,278 sq km of land in 1973. Check the details in Tiger Reserves in India below in this article.

Tiger Reserves in India 2023

Tiger Reserves in India: Project Tiger, which is run by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, is in charge of 53 of India’s tiger reserves (NTCA). 80% of the tigers in the world reside in India. There were 1,411 tigers in 2006; by 2010, there were 1,706; by 2014, there were 2,226; and by 2018, there were 2967.

According to subsection (1) of section 38V of the Wild Life Protection Act of 1972, “The state government shall notify an area as a Tiger Reserve on the suggestion of the tiger conservation authority.” The recommendation is required to be accepted by the state. A tiger reserve’s limits may not be changed without the National Board for Wild Life’s approval and the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s suggestion. Unless it is in the public interest and with the consent of the National Board for Wild Life and the National Tiger Conservation Authority, no State Government may de-notify a tiger reserve.

Critical tiger habitats (CTH) are designated under the Wild Life Protection Act (WLPA), which is also known as the core of tiger reserves. According to the law, these regions must be preserved inviolate for the conservation of tigers without compromising the rights of the Scheduled Tribes or other forest inhabitants. The state government notifies CTH after consulting with the committee of experts it formed specifically for the purpose.

The Guru Ghasidas National Park and Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary have been united to form India’s newest tiger reserve, which is located in the state of Chhattisgarh. This will be the fourth tiger reserve in Chhattisgarh and the 53rd tiger reserve in all of India.

List of 53 Tiger Reserves in India

Here’s the List of Tiger Reserves in India with states and the total area covered:

India’s Tiger Reserves Significance

Ever since the turn of the 20th century, the number of tigers has been declining. According to a report, tigers have lost 93% of their former range. According to, India is home to over 70% of the world’s tigers. Indian culture places a high value on tigers. As the top predator in an ecosystem, tigers are essential to preserving its diversity and health. Tiger habitat conservation and protection benefits a variety of ecosystem services, including the preservation of rivers and other water supplies, the reduction of soil erosion, and the enhancement of ecological services like pollination and water table retention, among others.

Tiger Reserves of India Threats

One of the biggest obstacles to tiger conservation is still poaching. Because the tiger has such high market value, professional poachers, local hunters, trappers, pirates, and peasants all hunt them. Tigers and other species have been compelled to tighten their belts and migrate to cooler places as a result of climate change and global warming, which has increased average global temperatures. Natural calamities like extensive forest fires pose a serious hazard. Concern has been raised about human encroachment on tiger habitats for farming, expanding infrastructure, and grazing cattle. Tiger habitats are seriously threatened by the growth of transportation infrastructure, including as roads and railroads.

Tiger Reserves of India Map

53rd Tiger Reserve in India

Chhattisgarh’s request to designate the combined lands of the Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary and the Guru Ghasidas National Park as a Tiger Reserve was approved by the NTCA’s Technical Committee in October 2021. In accordance with the terms of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, the NTCA has authorized the application. Guru Ghasidas NP and Tamor Pingla WLS, which together total 1,440 and 608 square kilometres, respectively. 2011 saw the addition of the Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary to the Sarguja Jashpur Elephant Reserve.

The Guru Ghasidas National Park was a section of the Sanjay National Park in Madhya Pradesh before it was divided. As the last known habitat of the Asiatic cheetah in India, Guru Ghasidas National Park is notable. The new tiger reserve gives the tigers a passageway to travel between Bandhavgarh and Palamau (Jharkhand) (Madhya Pradesh). A plan also exists to turn Bhoramdeo WLS into a Tiger Reserve. Indravati Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh and Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh are linked by Bhoramdeo.

Tiger Reserves in India Conservation Plan

According to the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972’s section 38.v.(3) For the proper management of each area referred to in sub-section (1), the State Government shall develop a Tiger Conservation Plan, including a staff development and deployment plan. This will ensure: 

• Protection of the Tiger Reserve and provision of habitat inputs specific to the tiger reserve for maintaining a viable population of tigers, co-predators, and prey animals..
• Ecologically friendly land uses that provide dispersing habitat and corridors in tiger reserves and areas connecting one Protected Area (PA) with another PA or tiger reserve.
• The forestry needs of tiger protection are not incompatible with the activities of conventional forest divisions or divisions next to tiger reserves.
• Of the 50 tiger reserves, the TCPs of the following 35 have received NTCA approval, while the other reserves are undergoing preparation or review.

Tiger Reserves in India: Tiger Conservation Foundation

Tiger conservation is a shared duty between the federal government and the states that calls for coordinated, creative, and time-bound effort. Along with updating the ongoing Project Tiger Scheme with increased funding to support the tiger States, the Government of India has launched a number of ground-breaking efforts in this area. At this level, appropriate institutional adjustments have also been made.

According to section 38X of the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972, the State Government must create a Tiger Conservation Foundation (TCF) for tiger reserves located within the State in order to facilitate and support the management of tiger reserves for the conservation of tigers and associated biodiversity as well as for taking eco-development initiatives through community involvement in the development process.

The Foundation’s goal is to assist and support the management of tiger reserves for the conservation of tigers and biodiversity, through multi-stakeholder participation in accordance with approved management plans, and to support related initiatives in neighboring landscapes in accordance with national and state laws.

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