Tiger Recovery Strategy and long term monitoring in Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra: Feasibility Assessment and Strategic Action Plan

Abstract

The Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, nestled in the northern Western Ghats in India, is the only tiger reserve in western Maharashtra. Sahyadri boasts a long and glorious history of the reign of Shivaji Maharaj and his successors. This study deals with the habitat assessment undertaken in STR. We used GIS and RS to better understand the landscape. We also carried out field vegetation surveys to understand of the density of trees and look at the overall vegetation and forest cover of STR. The status of tiger and carnivore prey present in STR were studied. Wild ungulate density was estimated to be 9.5 (2.79 SE) per km2, livestock density 10.81 (6.00 SE) per km2 and primate density 11.18 (5.00 SE) per km2. The major ungulate species recorded were the gaur, sambar, barking deer, wild boar, mouse deer and four horned antelope. Other preferable prey carnivores are primates and livestock.