Important Wildlife Corridors in India
Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong Corridor
- The Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong Corridor spans 25,000 square kilometres across Assam, Meghalaya, and Nagaland. It’s a crucial wildlife corridor in India, particularly for large mammals like tigers, elephants, and rhinos. This corridor connects Kaziranga National Park and the Karbi Anglong hills, allowing animals to move between habitats. However, development and the presence of National Highway 37 pose threats to wildlife, especially during floods. Protecting this corridor from human activities is essential for preserving habitat and ensuring the survival of many species.
Terai Arc Landscape, Lower Himalayan Region
- The Terai Arc Landscape extends 810 kilometers across Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar in India, and Nepal’s low-lying hills. It serves as a vital migration corridor in the Lower Himalayan Region, covering 14 protected areas. This diverse landscape includes grasslands, forests, and river valleys, providing essential habitats for various species, including rare Indian rhinos, Asian elephants, and Bengal Tigers. The corridor offers space for species to migrate between parks and preserves, like Chitwan National Park in Nepal and Rajaji National Park in India, which alone cannot support a healthy population of large mammals. Protecting this corridor is crucial for the survival of many species.
The Kanha-Pench Corridor, Satpuda-Maikal Landscape
- This corridor connects the Kanha and Pench Tiger Reserves and sustains a significant meta-population of tigers in central India. It’s home to around 120 tigers and various other important species. While human-wildlife conflict is not the primary threat, development projects like roads and railways could disrupt habitats.
The Sawantwadi-Dodamarg Wildlife Corridor
- This corridor in southwestern India connects protected areas and is crucial for wildlife movement in the Western Ghats. It’s home to rare species like Bengal tigers, bears, and elephants. Concerns about mining in the area led to its designation as an ecologically sensitive zone.
Sanjay Gandhi National Park Wildlife Overpass
- Under construction, this wildlife corridor in Mumbai’s Sanjay Gandhi National Park will be India’s first wildlife overpass. It aims to facilitate the movement of wildlife, including leopards and various bird species, between the park and the Tungareshwar Wildlife Sanctuary.
Rajaji-Corbett Corridor, Uttarakhand
- Connecting two major protected areas, this corridor supports a diverse population of tigers, elephants, and leopards. However, it has suffered from forest loss and degradation due to human activities, hindering animal movement.
Ranthambhore-Kuno-Madhav Corridor, Western India
- This corridor connects three protected tiger habitats and provides essential migration space for large mammals like tigers, chital, and sambar. Human encroachment poses a threat to the corridor’s integrity, particularly through land-use changes and agricultural expansion.
Wildlife Corridors in India: Latest List 2024
A wildlife corridor, also known as a habitat corridor or green corridor, is a stretch of natural habitat that connects different populations of wildlife that have been separated by human activities like roads, buildings, or logging. These corridors allow animals to move between populations, which helps prevent problems like inbreeding and low genetic diversity, which can happen when animal groups are isolated.
Corridors also make it easier for populations to recover after events like fires or disease outbreaks by allowing individuals to migrate and establish new groups. Let us learn more!
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