State

Chhattisgarh

History

Altitude (above M.S.L.)

177 - 599 m

The Madhya Pradesh Government established Indravati National Park in 1981. It was named after the river Indravati, which forms the northern boundary. The reserve was formerly known as Kutru National Park. In 1983 it was included in the Tiger Project Network.

Area

Total

2799.1 km²

Core

1258.4 km²

Buffer

1540.7 km²

Flora and Fauna

Beautiful forests and expansive grasslands are found in Indravati. The grasslands support a variety of wildlife and represent an excellent potential habitat for wild buffalo. An estimated 23 tigers are found in the reserve.

Rainfall (per annum)

887.8 - 2416.3 mm

Seasons

Winter

Nov - Feb

Summer

Mar - Jun

Monsoon

Jun - Sep

Fauna

Tiger, leopard, sloth bear, striped hyena, wild dog, wolf, wild buffalo, flying squirrel, Indian fox, gaur, spotted deer, barking deer, blue bull, wild boar, sambar, crocodile, monitor lizard, Indian chameleon, common krait, Indian rock python, cobra, russell’s viper, etc.

Forest Types

Southern Dry Mixed Deciduous Forests and Southern Moist Mixed Deciduous Forests

Funds

Insufficient & delayed

Management Objectives

Staff

Understaffed

Water management is extremely important at Indravati; The water retention capacity of the soil is very poor and water bodies dry up rapidly.

Problems

The surrounding livestock population creates an immense grazing pressure on the environment resulting in habitat degradation, and competition for wildlife. Extremists that engage in poaching and infrastructure destruction are a great problem in the reserve.

External Influences (1991census)

Villages

56

Human population

5,600

Livestock numbers

14,000