Rajaji Tiger Reserve

Category: Environment & Wildlife Conservation | GS Paper III

SEO Title: Rajaji Tiger Reserve: Location, Rivers, Wildlife, Elephant Corridor and Conservation

UPSC Notes

Rajaji Tiger Reserve is located in Uttarakhand, in the Shivalik hills and adjoining Indo-Gangetic plains. It is particularly important for Asian elephant conservation and the movement of wildlife through the Himalayan foothills.

  • Location: Haridwar, Dehradun and Pauri Garhwal districts, Uttarakhand.

  • National park established: 1983, through the merger of Rajaji, Motichur and Chilla sanctuaries.

  • Tiger reserve status: 2015.

  • Landscape: Shivalik foothills and upper Gangetic plains.

  • River: The Ganga flows through the protected landscape; the Song is another important river in the region.

  • Vegetation: Sal forests, moist deciduous forests, grasslands and riverine habitats.

  • Wildlife: Bengal tiger, Asian elephant, leopard, deer and numerous bird species.

  • Conservation importance: A key area for Asian elephant movement and connectivity between habitats in the Shivalik landscape.

Key Pointers

  • State: Uttarakhand.

  • Tiger reserve since 2015.

  • Important species: Tiger and Asian elephant.

  • River: Ganga.

  • Conservation issue: Habitat connectivity and human–wildlife conflict.