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Kanha National Park
About Kanha National ParkKanha Tiger Reserve, comprising parts of the Mandla & Balaghat districts of Madhya Pradesh, and located in the "Maikal" hills of the Satpuras, is internationally renowned for its rich floral and faunal attributes.
The Reserve is an excellent interspersion of the Dadars (flat hill tops), grassy expanses, dense forests and riverine forests. It is very rich in flora, largely due to the combination of landforms and soil types, apart from the moist character of the region
The rich habitat diversity of the Reserve supports a wide range of wildlife species along with innumerable lesser life forms, and is the sanctum sanctorum of many typical Central Indian fauna.
Besides harbouring a viable population of the tiger, Kanha has distinguished itself in saving the endangered hard ground barasingha from extinction, and supporting the last world population of this deer species
Location of Kanha National Park :I: In the Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh State in Centra! India. The park is accessible .from Jabalpur (170km, or 105 miles, away) which also has the nearest' airport and railhead. Nagpur is 270km (168 miles) from Kanha
Climate of Kanha National Park :Summer temperatures are very high (maximum 43°C; 10goF) and Winter is extremely cold (minimum 2°C; 36°F).
When to go (Kanha National Park) : Best time to visit is March to June. Park closed during monsoon from beginning July to end October. Also closed midday to give respite to wildlife.
Getting to Kanha National Park :: Mandla is the district's main town (65km; 40 miles); buses travel between here and the park. The road from Nagpur to Kanha is bad; a car journey takes about five hours. Entrance gates at Kisli and Mukki, which have full canteen facilities. Just beyond Kisli gate, multiple food stores at Khatia.s.
Facilities at Kanha National Park: : Forest Lodge managed by MPSTDC, forest rest houses, Baghira log huts of Madhya Pradesh (no self-catering required). Khatia has manY private lodges, among them Kipling Camp, Krishna and Mowgli. Self-drive permissible with guide; jeep tours and elephant-back rides into Kanha. Khatia has an Interpretation Centre with displays and a sound and light show.
Wildlife in Kanha National Park : Regularly spotted are Tiger ancl Muntjac; Panther rarely. Chausingha and Nilgai, although Present, are not often seen
Landscape of Kanha National Park : : Forested park nestles in horseshoe-shaped valley backed by spurs of Maikal hills and fronted by rolling meadows
Permits and Reservations for Kanha National Park : Accommodation should be booked in advance. For general information, write to.~ The Field Director, Project Tiger, PO Mandla, Madhya Pradesh. ,:1
Conservation History
Kanha Tiger Reserve is constituted on a "core-buffer" strategy. The entire National Park area of 940 sq. km. is visualised as a "core zone", free from all biotic disturbances. A buffer zone of 1009 sq. km. surrounding the core is treated as a "multiple use area". The buffer zone comprises almost 40 per cent of forest area and the rest is constituted by revenue and privateland. This zone is characterized by an interspersion of revenue and forest lands, pock-marked with numerous villages. Besides, the Phe
n Wildlife Sanctuary, a satellitic micro-core of 110 sq. km., is also under the administration of the Reserve Management. The significance of this micro-core lies in the exchange of gene-pool and dispersal of wildlife populations between the two conservation units. The buffer zone has been notified by the state Government as a separate division and is under the unified control of the 
Reserve Management. Wildlife conservation practices and ecodevelopment in the National Park, Buffer Zone and Phen Wildlife Sanctuary are carried out under the Management Plan for the year 2001-2002 to 2010-2011.
The Reserve is a part of the Gondwana tract inhabited traditionally and chiefly by the Gond and Baiga tribes, the latter confining themselves largely to the upper valleys and dadars near the main Maikal range. Information concerning the early history of these forests prior to 1860 is extremely scanty. The villagers had free access to cut and burn forest at will. The system of shifting cultivation, locally called "Bewar" - prevailed almost unhindered until 1870 on the hill slopes.
Forest Types
Technically the following forest types are found in the Tiger Reserve:
Moist Peninsular Sal Forests (3 C/C2)
Southern Tropical Moist Mixed Deciduous Forest (3 A/C 2a)
Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Mixed Forest(5 A/C-3)
Main Species(Flora)
Sal, Saja, Lendia, Dhawa, Tendu, Palas, Bija, Mahua, Aonla, Achar and Bamboo etc. Besides, there are many species of climbers, forbs and grass.
Main Species( Fauna)
Mammals:Chital , Sambar , Barasingha , Barking deer , Chousingha , Gaur , Langur , Wild pig , Jackal, Sloth bear, Wild dog, Panther, Tiger .
Reptiles:Python, Indian Cobra, Russell’s Viper, Indian Krait, Common Rat Snake, Common Skink, Indian Monitor, Fan Throated Lizard and Indian Garden Lizard etc.
Fishes:Giant Danio, Common Rasbora, Mud Perches, Brown Snakehead and Green Snakehead etc.
Birds:The Reserve supports around 300 species of birds.
Special Projects
Under research and monitoring activities, field data collection is carried out in the specially laid out plots, as per guidelines of Project Tiger.Daily monitoring of the endangered barasingha population is also ensured in the prescribe format.Cattle immunization programme in core and buffer zones is carried out periodically.
Special Initiatives
Ecodevelopment
Integrated community development inputs have been provided in the buffer zone under the MP Forestry Project. Ecodevelopmental inputs have been provided to some peripheral villages. The important components have been:
1.
Protection, regeneration and increased productivity of the forest resources of the peripheral area for fodder, fuel wood, timber and MFP, apart from a greater security of access to these resources for the villagers through the development of participatory management 2. Fostering activities related to the use of non-forest resources for income generation.
3. Promoting activities to cover the interface between forest and other sectors.
Ecodevelopment CommitteesThere are 106 EDCs in the buffer and 25 in the core zone involved in various ecodevelopmental initiatives with the Reserve Management.
Protection Squads / Patrolling
Apart from regular patrolling by different level of field staff and officers, two strike forces have been created with vehicular mobility to reinforce protection of the Reserve.
Education and Awareness
The spearhead team has been imparting the necessary skill to other frontline staff of the buffer zone division for site-specific micro-planning. Further, the team frequently convenes village level meetings for promoting awareness amongst the local inhabitants, apart from carrying out meaningful interpretation of PA values.
