UPSC Prelims 2020 Q100: Environment & Ecology – Protected Areas & Wildlife
- (a) Corbett
- (b) Ranthambore
- (c) Nagarjunsagar - Srisailam
- (d) Sunderbans
Answer: (c) Nagarjunsagar - Srisailam
Explanation
Tiger Reserve: Critical Tiger Habitat Size
| Tiger Reserve | Critical Habitat area? |
|---|---|
| Corbett | ~1300 sq km CTH (moderate) |
| Ranthambore | ~900 sq km CTH (smallest among listed) |
| Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam | ~2700-3500 sq km CTH (LARGEST) |
| Sundarbans | ~2600 sq km CTH (large) |
Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH) = core conservation zone with minimal human interference. NSS is the largest tiger reserve habitat in India.
Answer: (c) Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Corbett is smaller than NSS.
- (b) Incorrect. Ranthambore is much smaller.
- (c) CORRECT. Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam has the largest Critical Tiger Habitat (~3500 sq km) among major Indian tiger reserves.
- (d) Incorrect. Sundarbans, while large, is smaller than NSS.
Key point
Tiger Reserves ranking (by area): Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam (~3700 sq km, largest), Sundarbans (~2585 sq km), Corbett (~2084 sq km), Ranthambore (~1334 sq km).
Remember
Among the listed Tiger Reserves, NAGARJUNSAGAR-SRISAILAM (spanning Andhra Pradesh and Telangana) has the largest area under 'Critical Tiger Habitat' - making it the reserve with the most extensive core conservation zone in India.
Common mistakes
- Confusing total reserve area with CTH. NSS largest in both, but CTH specifically = core.
- Assuming Sundarbans largest (famous, mangrove ecosystem). NSS is actually larger.
- Missing that Sundarbans is trans-boundary (India-Bangladesh), tigers migrate across.
Exam tip
India's 51 tiger reserves (2023): Cover ~70,000 sq km. Recover from ~1,411 tigers (2006) to ~3,682 (2022). Successful conservation but human-wildlife conflict growing.
Sources
- Ministry of Environment - Tiger Reserve Database
- National Tiger Conservation Authority - Tiger Statistics