Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: In a major step toward tiger conservation in the Western Ghats, the Supreme Court–appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has recommended the creation of a 468.60 sq km Goa Tiger Reserve, to be set up in two stages and linked directly with Karnataka’s Kali Tiger Reserve.
Under the first phase, the CEC has proposed combining Netravali Wildlife Sanctuary, Cotigao Wildlife Sanctuary and portions of Bhagwan Mahaveer Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park into the new reserve. These areas, the committee noted, are ecologically connected to the core of the Kali Tiger Reserve and have relatively small human populations — Netravali (50 households), Cotigao (41 households), northern Bhagwan Mahaveer WLS (9 households) and Bhagwan Mahaveer National Park (2 households).
The committee said their proximity to the Kali landscape makes them essential for maintaining wildlife corridors and enabling tigers to naturally disperse into Goa.
Significantly, the CEC has excluded the Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary — which has been at the heart of long-standing demands for tiger reserve status — from the initial phase. Citing the high number of households in Mhadei (approximately 612) and in the southern part of Bhagwan Mahaveer WLS (around 560), the panel said these areas require extensive consultations and confidence-building before they can be considered. Their inclusion may be evaluated in a second phase after addressing community concerns over livelihoods and rehabilitation.
The total area proposed for the first phase includes 296.70 sq km of core habitat and 171.90 sq km of buffer, forming a continuous landscape with the 1,345 sq km Kali Tiger Reserve complex. Together, they create an integrated protected expanse of about 1,814 sq km, which the CEC said will greatly enhance ecological connectivity and support the movement and genetic health of tigers.
The CEC has asked the Goa government to begin the notification process for the proposed tiger reserve within three months. The Supreme Court is scheduled to issue its final orders on the committee’s recommendations on December 15.
