Geography & BiodiversityPriority2025-03-27

Karnataka Notifies Expansion of Bhadra Tiger Reserve Buffer Zone

Why focus: GS1 Geography map-based. Sets up Match-The-Following for Karnataka Tiger Reserves and adjacent wildlife sanctuaries.

In News

What Happened

On March 27, 2025, the Karnataka State Government officially notified the addition of approximately 28 sq km to the buffer zone and 15.6 sq km to the core area of the Bhadra Tiger Reserve. The expansion incorporates the Chornadehalli State Forest and Kaithotlu Minor Forests into the buffer. This statutory move finally links the tiger reserve directly with the neighboring Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary through the Umblebyle landscape.

Why It Matters

This expansion secures a critical, contiguous wildlife corridor in the Western Ghats, directly addressing severe human-elephant conflicts by allocating space for a 20 sq km 'soft release' center for rescued elephants. Furthermore, it legally rectifies a decades-old mapping anomaly that had previously placed 40% of the urban limits of Shivamogga city inside a wildlife sanctuary.

Background

History & Context

For decades, forest management in the Shivamogga and Chikkamagaluru districts was plagued by a boundary dispute where urban parts of Shivamogga city technically fell under the Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary. To resolve this, the Karnataka government proposed re-notifying Shettihalli's boundaries. The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) took up the matter during its 73rd meeting in July 2023 and its 80th meeting on October 9, 2024. In the 80th meeting, the NBWL approved the Shettihalli re-notification but imposed a strict statutory condition: the state must extend the Chornadehalli and Kaithotlu forests as a buffer to the Bhadra Tiger Reserve to protect the vital Umblebyle corridor. Subsequently, the Karnataka State Board for Wildlife (SBWL) formally approved this addition in its 18th meeting on October 7, 2024, culminating in the March 2025 gazette notification.

What Changed

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Buffer Zone Expansion: 2,625.96 hectares of Chornadehalli State Forest and 169.67 hectares of Kaithotlu Minor Forests were legally reclassified as the buffer zone of Bhadra Tiger Reserve under Section 38V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
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Core Zone Expansion: 15.59 sq km of the Kakanahosodi Reserve Forest was integrated into the core zone (Critical Tiger Habitat) of the reserve.
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Total Area Alteration: The total protected area jurisdiction of the Bhadra Tiger Reserve increased to 500.16 sq km.
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Habitat Connectivity: A legally protected, contiguous wildlife corridor was formalized between the Bhadra Tiger Reserve and Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary via the Umblebyle landscape in Bhadravati taluk.
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Conflict Mitigation Infrastructure: Legal and spatial clearance was created to establish a 20 sq km 'Soft Release Centre' within Bhadra to rehabilitate conflict-prone wild elephants captured from Hassan, Kodagu, and Chikkamagaluru estates.
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Administrative Re-alignment: Nearly 10,000 acres of forest land were transferred under the unified administrative jurisdiction of the Bhadra Tiger Reserve directorship, unlocking specific National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) funding.

What Did NOT Change

Despite the expansion of the buffer zone over multiple village limits, the notification explicitly excluded revenue land parcels, private enclosures, and areas previously released for rehabilitation packages. Patta (privately owned) lands within the eight affected villages, such as Hurulihalli and Kadekal, remain outside the forest department's absolute jurisdiction, meaning private land ownership rights were not extinguished.

Prelims Angle

NCERT Connection

This development is a direct real-world application of the concepts detailed in NCERT Class 11 Geography (India: Physical Environment), Chapter 5: 'Natural Vegetation'. The chapter discusses the in-situ conservation network of India, including the structural zoning of Biosphere Reserves and National Parks. The Bhadra expansion perfectly illustrates the statutory 'Core-Buffer' strategy where the core (Kakanahosodi) is kept strictly inviolate, while the buffer (Chornadehalli and Kaithotlu) promotes corridor connectivity and allows for regulated human coexistence.

Common Misconceptions

✗ State governments have the absolute power to unilaterally alter or expand the boundaries of Tiger Reserves via gazette notification.

✓ Under Section 38W of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, no alteration in the boundaries of a Tiger Reserve can be made without the recommendation of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and prior approval of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL).

Because the final, legally binding gazette notification is issued and signed by the State Government, obscuring the mandatory central and statutory committee approvals required beforehand.

✗ Buffer zones of Tiger Reserves are entirely devoid of human presence, just like the core zones.

✓ Buffer zones (or peripheral areas) are legally designated to ensure the integrity of the Critical Tiger Habitat while promoting co-existence; they frequently contain revenue villages, agricultural lands, and private 'patta' lands where traditional rights are protected.

Students often conflate the strict, inviolate nature of the 'Core Zone' (Critical Tiger Habitat) with the entire administrative area of the Tiger Reserve.

Practice Questions

Q1

How Many Correct

Consider the following statements regarding the legal framework governing Tiger Reserves in India: 1. The State Government notifies an area as a Tiger Reserve on the recommendation of the National Tiger Conservation Authority. 2. Boundaries of a Tiger Reserve can be altered by the State Government without the approval of the National Board for Wildlife if the alteration expands the reserve's area. 3. While the core area is kept as an inviolate area, the buffer area aims at promoting co-existence between wildlife and human activity. How many of the above statements are correct?

Q2

Match the Following

Match the Tiger Reserves (List I) with their associated Geographical Features or States (List II): List I: A. Bhadra Tiger Reserve B. Ratapani Tiger Reserve C. Pakke Tiger Reserve D. Nameri Tiger Reserve List II: 1. Vindhya Range 2. Bababudangiri Hills 3. Assam 4. Arunachal Pradesh Select the correct code:

Q3

Assertion & Reason

Assertion (A): The Karnataka government's March 2025 addition of the Chornadehalli and Kaithotlu forests to the Bhadra Tiger Reserve buffer zone required prior approval from the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL). Reason (R): Under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, State Governments cannot alter the boundaries of any Tiger Reserve without the recommendation of the National Tiger Conservation Authority and approval of the NBWL. Select the correct answer:

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