Ranthambore National Park

Ranthambore National Park
Map showing the location of Ranthambore National Park
Map showing the location of Ranthambore National Park
Ranthambore NP
LocationSawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, India
Nearest citySawai Madhopur
Coordinates26°01′02″N 76°30′09″E / 26.01733°N 76.50257°E / 26.01733; 76.50257
Area1,334 km2 (515 sq mi)
Established1980
Governing bodyMinistry of Environment and Forests, Project Tiger

Ranthambore National Park is a 1,334 km2 (515 sq mi) large national park in the Indian state of Rajasthan. It is bounded to the north by the Banas River and to the south by the Chambal River. It is named after the historic Ranthambore Fort, which lies within the park.

History

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Ranthambore National Park was established as the Sawai Madhopur Game Sanctuary in 1955, initially covering an area of 282 km2 (109 sq mi). It was declared one of the Project Tiger reserves in 1973.[1]

Features

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A panoramic view of Ranthambore National Park from Ranthambhore Fort
Ranthambore Fort

Ranthambore National Park covers a total area of 392 km2 (151 sq mi), including buffer zone.[2] It harbours dry deciduous forests and open grassy meadow. The core area is about 275 km2 (106 sq mi). Ranthambore Tiger Reserve spreads over an area of 1,334 km2 (515 sq mi) at an elevation range of about 215–505 m (705–1,657 ft).

Ranthambore Fort was built in the 10th century by Chauhan rulers at 210 m (700 ft) above the surrounding plain. Inside the fort are three red stone temples devoted to Ganesh, Shiva and Ramlalaji. There is a Digamber Jain temple of Sumatinatha and Sambhavanatha. The temples were constructed in the 12th and 13th centuries. Padam Talao is the largest of the many lakes in the park. A red sandstone Jogi Mahal is at the edge of the lake.

Fauna

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Ranthambore National Park hosts over 270 species of birds, including crested serpent eagle, painted francolin and Indian paradise flycatcher.[1]

Tigers

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T-24, considered to be the largest tiger in the park
Tigress T39 from Zone-1
T 83 - Lightening

Ranthambore is known for its Bengal tiger population. During the past few years, there has been a decline in numbers due to poaching and other reasons.[3] The number of tigers was 25 in 2005 and 48 in 2013.[4] As of 2022, there were 80 tigers in the park.[5]

Flora

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There are over 300 species of trees, including over 100 of medicinal importance.[1] The land features dense tropical dry forest, open bushland and rocky terrain interspersed with lakes and streams. The ecoregion includes Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests.[6]

Ecosystem valuation

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Economic valuation of the tiger reserve estimated that its flow benefits are worth 8.3 billion rupees (0.56 lakh/hectare) annually. Gene-pool protection services (7.11 billion), provisioning of water to the neighbouring region (115 million) and provisioning of habitat and refuge for wildlife (182 million) were some of the important services that emanated from the tiger reserve. Other services included nutrient cycling (34 million) and sequestration of carbon (69 million).[7]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Riley, L. (2005). Nature's strongholds : the world's greatest wildlife reserves. Princeton, USA: Princeton University Press. p. 225. ISBN 9780691122199.
  2. ^ Derr, P. G. (2003). Case studies in environmental ethics. Maryland, USA: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 17. ISBN 0742531376.
  3. ^ Sadhu, A.; Jayam, P. P. C.; Qureshi, Q.; Shekhawat, R. S.; Sharma, S.; Jhala, Y. V. (2017). "Demography of a small, isolated tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) population in a semi-arid region of western India". BMC Zoology. 2: 16. doi:10.1186/s40850-017-0025-y.
  4. ^ "24 Tigers 2013 will be shifted from Ranthambhore". Patrika Group (in Hindi). Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  5. ^ "Two more cubs spotted in Ranthambore". The Times of India. 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2014.
  6. ^ "Kathiarbar-Gir Dry Deciduous Forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Retrieved 14 February 2017.
  7. ^ "Economic Valuation of Tiger Reservers in India – A value+ approach" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.

Further reading

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  • Singh, V.; Shrivastava, A. 2007. Biodiversity of Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan. Scientific Publishers, Jodhpur. ISBN 81-7233-492-3.
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Ranthambore National Park.
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