Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, India was included in the global network of biosphere reserves by UNESCO, said an official report.
Union Minister for the environment, forest and climate change Prakash Javdekar congratulated PTR authorities via a social media post for their stellar effort to conserve tigers. The post accompanied a 50-second video of tigers in the reserve.
UNESCO’s recognition cited PTR as a critical tiger habitat. “The area has undergone substantial ecosystem restoration in the buffer zone. With only three urban centres and over 300 villages, agriculture is the main source of income together with horticulture, forestry, and cultural and eco-tourism,” UNESCO stated.
“PTR was notified as a biosphere reserve by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 2011 and after nine years the UNESCO included it in the Man and Biosphere programme,” said Alok Kumar, principal chief conservator of wildlife, MP.
