Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR)

July 27, 2024

In the past year, three forest employees have been attacked by encroachers in the Tourenga forest range of Chhattisgarh’s Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR), with 15% of the forest cleared over the last 15 years.

About Udanti Sitanadi Tiger Reserve (USTR):

Location: It is located in the Dhamtari District of Chhattisgarh.
Udanti and Sitanadi, aretwo wildlife sanctuaries, combined together to form the reserve.
It covers a total area of 1842.54 sq. km.
It was declared a tiger reserve in the year 2008-09.
Rivers:
- The Udanti River flows from west to east in the Udanti Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Sitanadi River originates from the middle of the Sitanadi Wildlife Sanctuary.
- There are a few perennial springs, including the famousDeodhara and Godene falls.
Topography: The topography of the area is a broken mass of land traversed by innumerable hill ranges intercepted by strips of plains.
Vegetation: Mixed vegetation is present in the reserve. Dry deciduous forests, tropical and sub-tropical vegetation are also observed here, especially in the area around streams and waterways.
Flora:
- It contains various types of forest crops mixed with Sal Forest.
- The ground is covered with maze of grass, plants, bushes and saplings.
Fauna:
- All the representative faunal species of Central India are found in the reserve.
- The Asiatic Wild Buffalo is the key endangered species found in the core area.
- Apart from the tiger, other endangered and rare species are the Indian Wolf, Leopard, Sloth Bear and Mouse Deer.