Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve gets TX2 award

The Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) of Tamil Nadu has been awarded the prestigious TX2 Award after its tiger number doubled since 2010.

The Nilgiri biosphere landscape, which the reserve is a part of, is currently the home to the largest tiger population in the world.

Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve is a protected area and tiger reserve in the Western Ghats in the Erode District of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

The awards are presented by the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CATS), Fauna and Flora International (FFI), Global Tiger Forum (GTF), IUCN’s Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme (ITHCP), Panthera, UNDP, The Lion’s Share, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and WWF, according to a press statement.

They celebrate the 10th anniversary of all 13 Tiger Range countries committed to double the global population of wild tigers by 2022. The award acknowledges the efforts by the state governments and the local communities who have played one of the most important roles to turn a relatively new tiger reserve into one of the source populations of tigers in India.

Sathyamangalam was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2013 and now has about 80 individuals in the area.

The tiger reserve is an important link between the Nilgiris and Eastern Ghats landscape.

It is connected to other well-established tiger habitats like Mudumalai Tiger reserve, Bandipur Tiger reserve and BR Hills tiger reserve.

The adjoining areas like Erode forest division, Coimbatore forest division and Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary are also emerging as important tiger habitats, creating a mosaic that allows the big cats to easily move in search of food and new territory.

Ravi Singh, Secretary-General and CEO, WWF India, said: “The TX2 Awards celebrate the remarkable contributions made by government bodies, NGOs, and local communities to strengthen tiger conservation. To honour a recently notified Tiger Reserve like Sathyamangalam with the award is a step forward to inspire others to work towards preserving this magnificent species and its habitats.”

In September this year, tiger range countries will convene at the second Global Tiger Summit in Vladivostok to assess progress towards the ambitious TX2 goal - double the number of tigers in the wild - and identify tiger conservation priorities for the next 12 years.

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