Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): With the notification of Madhav National Park as a tiger reserve on March 7, wildlife conservation efforts in North West Madhya Pradesh (Chambal-Gwalior Region) have received a big boost. This region of Madhya Pradesh was lagging in the race for wildlife conservation and promotion until the end of the second decade of this century.

The main reason was the absence of a charismatic carnivore in the area. With the arrival of cheetahs in Kuno National Park on September 17, 2022, and the arrival of a tigress in Madhav Tiger Reserve on March 10 (taking the total number of felines to six), wildlife conservation efforts are set to gain momentum.

Before the start of 2025, Kuno Wildlife Division, with its area of 375 sq km, had insufficient forest space for cheetahs and tigers to thrive. However, the recent addition of new forest areas in the Kuno Wildlife Division and the notification of Madhav Tiger Reserve have significantly improved conditions for wildlife in this region.

Sources in Kuno said that both the expansion of the Kuno Wildlife Division and the Madhav Tiger Reserve have been carried out strategically to ensure connectivity through continuous forest cover. From Karera in the east up to the Rajasthan border in the west, a total forest area of 3,428 sq km has been brought under the jurisdiction of the Director of the Lion Project.

The combined area of the Kuno Wildlife Division and Madhav Tiger Reserve forms a unique and promising wildlife landscape, especially for cheetahs and tigers. Wildlife population habitat viability analysis suggests that a sufficient minimum area under wildlife management is necessary to maintain a viable population of large carnivores.

The average protected area size in India is around 212 sq km, which is inadequate to support viable tiger or other large carnivore populations. Hence, a landscape approach has become extremely important.