Madhya Pradesh Declares 25th Wildlife Sanctuary Named After Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in Sagar District.
National
In April 2025, the Government of Madhya Pradesh (MP) declared its 25th Wildlife Sanctuary (WLS), named Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Abhyaran, covering an area of 258.64 square kilometres (sq. km) in the Sagar district of Madhya Pradesh.
- The sanctuary was formally notified under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, and was inaugurated on 14th April 2025, commemorating the 134th birth anniversary of Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar.
- The creation of this WLS aims to strengthen wildlife conservation, safeguard regional biodiversity, and promote sustainable eco-tourism along with generating employment opportunities in the region. Madhya Pradesh retains its title as the “Tiger State of India.”
- Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Abhyaran is situated within the North Sagar Forest Division, encompassing forested regions in Banda Tehsil and Shahgarh of the Sagar district, Madhya Pradesh (MP). It has been strategically planned to serve as a protected wildlife corridor between the Panna Tiger Reserve in the Bundelkhand region and the Madhav Tiger Reserve in the Gwalior-Chambal region.
Main Point :- (i) This corridor is expected to play a crucial role in developing the longest and largest tiger corridor in North-Central India, facilitating the safe movement of various species including tigers, cheetahs, leopards, wolves, gharials, and vultures. It further enhances landscape-level connectivity between Madhav Tiger Reserve and Ranthambore Tiger Reserve in Sawai Madhopur, Rajasthan, via the Kuno National Park in Sheopur, MP — known for housing African cheetahs.
(ii) Madhya Pradesh is already home to several significant wildlife sanctuaries and tiger reserves such as Pench, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Satpura, and Panna, reinforcing its status as a major biodiversity hotspot in India. The declaration of this new sanctuary adds to the conservation efforts aimed at preserving both flora and fauna.
(iii) As a national comparison, Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan is among the largest and most famous tiger reserves in the country. Interestingly, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands have the highest number of Wildlife Sanctuaries (WLS) in India, with a total of 97 sanctuaries among all states and Union Territories.
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