Satpura National Park

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Context

• The forest department of Satpura Tiger Reserve has hit upon a rock painting dating back 10,000 years. 

Satpura Tiger Reserve

Location

• Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR) also known as Satpura National Park is located in the Narmadapuram District of Madhya Pradesh.

Protected areas it includes

• The tiger reserve comprises three protected areas, Satpura National Park, Bori Wildlife Sanctuary, and Pachmarhi Sanctuary.

Watershed Area

• Satpura, basically meaning "Seven Folds", forms a watershed between Narmada and Tapti River is triangular in shape.

Biogeography

• It is part of the Deccan bio-geographic zone of India.

Peak

• It has Dhoopgarh peak as high as 1,350 metres.

Nearest Town

• The nearest town to the national park is Pachmarhi.

Animals

• Satpura National Park is rich in biodiversity. The animals here include leopard, sambar, chital, Indian muntjac, nilgai, four-horned antelope, Chinkara, wild boar, bear, black buck, fox, porcupine, flying squirrel, mouse deer, and Indian giant squirrel.

Birds

• There are a variety of birds. Hornbills and peafowl are common birds found here.
• The flora consists of mainly sal, teak, tendu, Phyllanthus emblica, mahua, bel, bamboo, and grasses and medicinal plants.

Tiger Population

• STR increased its numbers from 13 in 2010 to 48 in 2021.
• Satpura also received the Conservation Excellence Award for outstanding reserve management.

Home to Rare Bryophytes

• It is a unique area of diverse land resources and is endowed with a rich bio-diversity including rare and endemic bryophytes and pteridophytes like Psilotum, Cythea, Osmunda, Lycopodium.

Vegetation

• The Park is identified as a mixed deciduous forest with a variety of flora typical of the Central Indian Highlands.
• These include teak, bamboo, Indian Ebony, various acacias, wild mango, Indian gooseberry, satinwood, axil wood to name a few.

Recognition

• Satpura Tiger Reserve was declared as the first biosphere reserve of Madhya Pradesh in the year 1999.

Trivia

• Pachmarhi is the only place in Central India where one can see the teak forest and saal forest merging.
• Satpura National Park is one of the only ecosystems in Central India that houses Indian Giant squirrel and Malabar Whistling Thrush, which are species otherwise commonly found in the Western Ghats.
• The Satpura Tiger Reserve is also home to the Hard Ground Barasingha an endangered species previously only found in Kanha National Park.