The Kanha Landscape is one of the finest Tiger landscapes in the country which has been well-renowned for its rich biodiversity including the iconic tiger species. The Source of the genealogy of most of the tigers is spread over this landscape lies in the Kanha tiger reserve. The Area is sprawled around 3500 sq. km currently incorporating the Kanha core, Kanha buffer, the Phen Wildlife Sanctuary, parts of the ecological corridors like Kanha-Pench, Kanha-Nawegaon-Nagzira, and Kanha-Achanakmar) and the areas under different forest divisions adjoining to the Kanha tiger reserve.
Around the second decade of the last century, the landscape was the incarnation of the wilderness, with the typical physiography of the central Indian Highlands comprising the undulations, rolling slopes, and the plain forested area along with excellent sal and miscellaneous woodlands like the dense foliage large bamboo clumps and the thick herbaceous and shrubby undergrowth. With heterogeneous grassy plains and large clearings, the woodlands are also interspersed with the occasionally grown tree groves.
Nestled in the landscape supports a wide range of wildlife species, including carnivores, herbivores, and birds. Tigers were also abundantly found making the area thereby famous for hunting, sport, or otherwise. The Forest tracts are also regarded as one of the finest and most pristine wilderness areas in the country. As many of the widely traveled Indian and British conservationists were in awe of this region.
Dynamics of the Past and the Present Landscape of Kanha
As far as the destruction of forests and wildlife is concerned, the tigers have suffered the most due to their iconic status. The Present landscape of Kanha National Park is a pale reflection of its former glory. The Background of this destruction was the gradual human population increase, lack of general conservation awareness, negligence in the enforcement of existing elementary wildlife laws, the heady excitement of the newly attained Independence, and the consequent display of the carelessness and the overreach in and around the forested area.
But, the potential of tiger conservation was, however, so great in and around Kanha, the gradual upgradation of several acclaimed shikar blocks as sanctuaries and ultimately a national park and the present tiger reserve did manage to conserve an impressive population of the tigers for future.
Among the first nine tiger reserves, under Project Tiger, Kanha is now one of the best-managed tiger reserves in the country.
And, currently, there are only five subspecies of this super cat. The World has already lost four of the nine subspecies of this charismatic species further restricting its world population genetically. India is one of the thirteen tiger range countries!
