Similipal National Park / Biosphere reserve / Tiger reserve is located in the state of Odisha in Mayurbhanj district.
Similipal derives its name from ‘Simul’ (silk cotton) tree.
Similipal was formally designated a tiger reserve in 1956 and brought under Project Tiger in the year 1973.
In 1979, the Simlipal was declared as a wildlife sanctuary by the Government of Odisha. It was declared a biosphere reserve by the Government of India in June, 1994.
It has been part of the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserve since 2009.
It is part of the Similipal-Kuldiha-Hadgarh Elephant Reserve popularly known as Mayurbhanj Elephant Reserve, which includes 3 protected areas i.e. Similipal Tiger Reserve, Hadagarh Wildlife sanctuary and Kuldiha wildlife sanctuary.
Location:
It is situated in the northern part of Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district. Geographically, it lies in the eastern end of the eastern ghat.
Coverage:
The biosphere spread over 4,374 sq. km. has 845 sq. km. of core forest (tiger reserve), 2,129 sq km buffer area and 1,400 sq km of transition space.
The tiger reserve is spread over 2750 sq km and has some beautiful waterfalls like Joranda and Barehipani.
The park is surrounded by high plateaus and hills, the highest peak being the twin peaks of Khairiburu and Meghashini (1515m above mean sea level).
Vegetation:
The vegetation is a mix of deciduous with some semi-evergreen forests. Sal is the dominant tree species.
Similipal has 1,076 flowering species and 96 species of orchids. It boasts of having tropical semi-evergreen forests, tropical moist deciduous forests, dry deciduous hill forests, high level sal forests and sprawling meadows.
Two tribes, the Erenga Kharias and the Mankirdias, inhabit the reserve’s forests and practise traditional agricultural activities (the collection of seeds and timber).
Other Prominent tribes –Kolha, Santhala, Bhumija, Bhatudi, Gondas, Khadia, Mankadia and Sahara.
Similipal is home to a wide range of wild animals including tigers and elephants, besides 304 species of birds, 20 species of amphibians and 62 species of reptiles.
The park is known for the tiger, elephant and hill mynah.
Similipal holds the highest tiger population in the state of Odisha.
Apart from the tiger, the major mammals are leopard, sambar, barking deer, gaur, jungle cat, wild boar, four-horned antelope, giant squirrel and common langur.
Grey hornbill, Indian pied hornbill and Malabar pied hornbill are also found here.
The park also has a sizeable population of reptiles, which includes the longest venomous snake, the King cobra and the Tricarinate hill turtle.
The Mugger Management Programme at Ramatirtha has helped the mugger crocodile to flourish on the banks of the Khairi and Deo Rivers
Similipal has turned out to be the haven for hunters and poachers as the region has witnessed several killings of elephants, tigers and leopards.
Vulnerability to Forest Fires:
Natural: Natural causes such as lighting or even soaring temperatures can sometimes result in forest fires here.
Man Made Factors: Instances of poaching and hunting wherein the poachers set a small patch of forest on fire to divert the wild animals, can lead to forest fires.
Threats:
About 20 adult breeding male elephants die each year, mostly to unnatural causes like poaching and electrocution.
The dwindling breeding male population and the isolated populations due to fragmented forests is weakening the gene pool due to mating among immature individuals and inbreeding.
There is a link between poaching and tradingof elephant tusks, tiger skins and leopard skins since these fetch a huge price in the international market despite the global ban
Even though Elephants are protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, there is a rise in poaching cases
While tiger population has gone up in most Indian states, in Odisha it has come down or remained static
Mitigation Strategies:
Forecasting fire-prone days and including community members to mitigate incidents of fire, creating fire lines, clearing sites of dried biomass, and crackdown on poachers.
The forest fire lines which are strips kept clear of vegetation, could help break the forest into compartments to prevent fires from spreading.
