MP’s Panna Tiger Reserve now a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

Panna National Park in Madhya Pradesh has been declared a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. This popular tourist spot has now been included in the global network of biospheres. Union Minister of Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Prakash Javadekar shared this good news on Twitter, and appreciated the efforts that helped the reserve attain the status, and also praised their work on tiger conservation. He also added that the recent development will help the reserve in exploring new measures that can help in the conservation of wildlife and sustainability.

UNESCO's recognition mentioned Panna Tiger Reserve as a critical tiger habitat. It stated that the area has undergone substantial ecosystem restoration in the buffer zone. With only three urban centres and over 300 villages, agriculture is the main source of income here, together with horticulture, forestry and cultural and eco-tourism.
Reportedly, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) declared Panna Tiger Reserve as a Biosphere Reserve in 2011. Now, after a period of nine years, UNESCO has included it in the Man and Biosphere programme. Also worth mentioning is that the Panna National Park earned the status of Project Tiger Reserve in 1981, i.e., 13 years after its formation.
Every year, new biosphere reserves are designated by the UNESCO to resolve man-animal conflict and promote conservation of biodiversity as well as enable sustainable use of natural resources.
Alok Kumar, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), elated about this achievement, stated that it’s indeed a very proud moment for them as the MP Forest Department did a lot of hard work to create a conducive environment here and work toward adding numbers in the population of tigers.

He also added that local villages also played a key role in conservation. Talking on the same, he added that Panna Nature Club authorities tried to sensitise local villagers about the reserve's rich wildlife and vegetation, and that the villagers responded positively.