Buxa Tiger Reserve

2026-02-22T06:26:52Z

173.219.88.153:

{{Short description|Tiger reserve in West Bengal, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2017}}
{{Infobox Protected area
| name = Buxa Tiger Reserve
| alt_name =
| image = {{Photomontage
| photo1a =
| photo2a = Buxa1.jpg
| photo2b = Buxa-elephant.jpg
| photo3a = Buxa Tiger Reserve forest 2014.jpg
| color = #FFFFFF
| border = 1
| color_border = #FFFFFF
}}
| iucn_category = II
| map = India West Bengal#India
| map_width =
| label = Buxa NP
| label_position = right
| mapframe-zoom = 9
| location = [[West Bengal]], [[India]]
| nearest_city = [[Alipurduar]]
| coordinates = {{coords|26|39|0|N|89|34|48|E|display=inline, title}}
| area_km2 = 760
| established = 1983
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
| relief = 1
| mapframe = Yes
| governing_body = Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change, [[Government of India]]
}}

'''Buxa Tiger Reserve''' is a [[tiger reserve]] and [[national park]] in northern [[West Bengal]], [[India]], covering an area of {{cvt|760|km2}}. It ranges in elevation from {{cvt|60|m}} in the [[Gangetic Plains]] to {{cvt|1750|m}} bordering the [[Himalayas]] in the north. At least 284 bird species inhabit the reserve.<ref name=birdsofbuxa>{{Cite journal |author1=Sivakumar, S. |author2=Varghese, J. |author3=Prakash, V. |title=Abundance of birds in different habitats in Buxa Tiger Reserve, West Bengal, India |pages=128–133 |journal=Forktail |date=2006 |volume=22 |url=https://orientalbirdclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Sivakumar-Buxa1.pdf |access-date=27 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150618201023/http://orientalbirdclub.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Sivakumar-Buxa1.pdf |archive-date=18 June 2015 |url-status=dead}}</ref> Mammals present include [[Asian elephant]], [[gaur]], [[Sambar deer]], [[clouded leopard]], [[Indian leopard]], and [[Asian golden cat]]. The [[Bengal tiger]] is also present but rarely seen; as of 2005, Buxa Tiger Reserve had only one resident tiger.<ref name=NTFPbuxa>{{Cite journal |title=Role of NTFPs among forest villagers in a protected area of West Bengal |author=Das, B. K. |date=2005 |journal=Journal of Human Ecology |volume=18 |issue=2 |pages=129–136 |url=http://www.krepublishers.com/02-Journals/JHE/JHE-18-0-000-000-2005-Web/JHE-18-2-000-000-2005-Abst-PDF/JHE-18-2-129-136-2005-1295-Das-B-Kanti/JHE-18-2-129-136-2005-1295-Das-B-Kanti-Full-Text.pdf |doi=10.1080/09709274.2005.11905820 |s2cid=55037688}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Buxa tiger reserve - WLB DSC 9753.jpg|thumb|Buxa Tiger Reserve]]
Buxa Tiger Reserve was created in 1983 as the 15th tiger reserve in India. In 1986, Buxa Wildlife Sanctuary was constituted over {{cvt|314.52|km2}} of the reserve forests. In 1991, {{cvt|54.47|km2}} was added to Buxa Wildlife Sanctuary. In 1992, the [[Government of West Bengal]] declared its intentions to constitute a national park over {{cvt|117.10|km2}} of the Buxa Wildlife Sanctuary. State government finally declared national park with notification No.3403-For/11B-6/95 dt. 05.12.1997.<ref name=projecttiger>{{Cite web |title=Project Tiger on Buxa |access-date=2011-03-30 |url=http://projecttiger.nic.in/buxa.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110106022210/http://projecttiger.nic.in/buxa.htm |archive-date=2011-01-06}}</ref>

==Geography==
===Location===
[[File:Jayanti 1.jpg|thumb|Jayanti hills]]
Buxa Tiger Reserve lies in [[Alipurduar district]] of [[West Bengal]]. Its northern boundary runs along the international border with [[Bhutan]]. The Sinchula hill range lies all along the northern side of Buxa Tiger Reserve, and the eastern boundary touches that of the [[Assam]] state. National Highway No.31 C roughly runs along its southern boundary. It is the easternmost extension of extreme bio-diverse [[North-East India]] and represents highly endemic Indo-Malayan region. [[Phibsoo Wildlife Sanctuary]] is contiguous to the north of Buxa Tiger Reserve, and [[Manas National Park]] is to the east, so that Buxa Tiger Reserve serves as international corridor for Asian elephant migration between India and Bhutan.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.wti.org.in/projects/right-of-passage/ |title = RIGHT OF PASSAGE: NATIONAL ELEPHANT CORRIDORS PROJECT | Wildlife Trust of India}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/elephant-corridors-in-india-threatened-says-study/article20231670.ece | title=Elephant corridors in India threatened, says study| newspaper=The Hindu| date=11 November 2017| last1=Singh| first1=Shiv Sahay| last2=Perinchery| first2=Aathira}}</ref>

===Geology===
Buxa Tiger Reserve is contiguous with the [[Buxa Formation of Mamley]] in the state of Sikkim, the stromatolite bearing [[Dolomite (rock)|dolomite]] [[limestones]], which has been declared a [[List of National Geological Monuments in India|national geological monument]] for their protection, maintenance, promotion and enhancement of [[geotourism]].<ref name=gsi1>{{Cite web |url=http://www.portal.gsi.gov.in/portal/page?_pageid=127,529542&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL |title=National Geological Monument |work=Geological Survey of India |access-date=21 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170712055947/http://www.portal.gsi.gov.in/portal/page?_pageid=127,529542&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL |archive-date=12 July 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=gsi2>{{Cite web|url=http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=137573|title=Geo-Heritage Sites |date=2016 |work=[[Press Information Bureau]]|access-date=2018-09-15}}</ref>

== Biodiversity ==

===Flora===
More than 450 species of trees, 250 species of shrubs, 400 species of herbs, 9 species of cane, 10 species of bamboo, 150 species of [[orchids]], 100 species of grass and 130 species of aquatic flora including more than 70 sedges ([[Cyperaceae]]) have been identified so far. There are more than 160 species of other monocotyledons and ferns.
The main trees are [[sal tree|sal]], [[magnolia champaca|champa]], [[gamhar]], [[bombax|simul]] and [[chikrasi]].<ref name = projecttiger/>

Forest types include:{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}
* Northern dry deciduous
* Eastern Bhabar and Terai sal
* East Himalayan moist mixed deciduous forest
* Sub-Himalayan secondary wet mixed forest
* Eastern sub-montane semi-evergreen forest
* Northern tropical evergreen forest
* East Himalayan subtropical wet hill forest
* Moist sal savannah
* Low alluvium
* Savannah woodland

===Fauna===
During a survey in May 2000 to July 2001, 284 bird species were recorded including [[Eurasian griffon]] (''Gyps fulvus''), [[Amur falcon]] (''Falco amurensis''), [[Malayan night heron]] (''Gorsachius melanolophus''), [[Oriental pied hornbill]] (''Anthracoceros albirostris''), [[rufous-necked hornbill]] (''Aceros nipalensis''), [[chestnut-breasted partridge]] (''Arborophila mandellii''), [[cinnamon bittern]] (''Ixobrychus cinnamomeus''), [[stripe-breasted woodpecker]] (''Dendrocopos atratus''), [[velvet-fronted nuthatch]] (''Sitta frontalis'') and [[black-naped oriole]] (''Oriolus chinensis'').<ref name=birdsofbuxa/>
The Narathali lake, [[Raidāk River|Raidāk]] and [[Jayanti (village)|Jayanti]] rivers provide habitat to [[migratory birds]] like [[common merganser]] (''Mergus merganser''), [[Eurasian teal]] (''Anas crecca''), [[black-necked crane]] (''Grus nigricollis''), [[black stork]] (''Ciconia nigra''), and [[ferruginous pochard]] (''Aythya nyroca''). Two new [[frog]] species were discovered in 2006.<ref name=projecttiger/>

The 73 [[mammal]] species include [[Indian leopard]], [[Bengal tiger]], [[clouded leopard]], [[giant squirrel]], [[gaur]], [[chital]] and [[wild boar]]. 65 [[fish]], 41 [[reptile]] and 4 [[amphibian]] species have been identified.<ref name=NTFPbuxa/> In February 2018, both plain and spotted [[Asiatic golden cat]]s (''Catopuma temminckii'') were recorded in the reserve for the first time.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ghose |first1=M. |last2=Sharma |first2=D. |last3=Murali |first3=N. S. |year=2019 |title=First photographic evidence of polymorphic Asiatic Golden Cat ''Catopuma temminckii'' Vigors & Horsfield, 1827 (Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae) in Buxa Tiger Reserve, West Bengal, India |journal=Journal of Threatened Taxa |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=13502–13505 |doi=10.11609/jott.4254.11.4.13502-13505 |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Endangered species present in the reserve are [[leopard cat]], [[Bengal florican]], [[Python reticulatus|reticulated python]], [[Chinese pangolin]], [[hispid hare]],<ref name=hispidhare>{{Cite book |title=Rabbits, hares and pikas: status survey and conservation action plan |author=Chapman, J. A. |author2=Flux, J. E. C. |pages=128–136 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q994k86i0zYC&pg=PA128 |isbn=9782831700199 |year=1990}}</ref> [[hog deer]]<ref name=NTFPbuxa /><ref name=projecttiger /> [[lesser adjutant]] (''Leptoptilos javanicus''), [[white-rumped vulture]] (''Gyps bengalensis''), [[slender-billed vulture]] (''Gyps tenuirostris''), [[chestnut-breasted partridge]] (''Arborophila mandellii''), [[rufous necked hornbill]] (''Aceros nipalensis''), [[ferruginous pochard]] (''Aythya nyroca'') and [[great hornbill]] (''Buceros bicornis'').<ref name=birdsofbuxa/>

==Threats==
Hilly, Bhabhar and riverine tracts of core suffer from fire. Generally non timber forest produce collectors and shepherds put forests on fire.<ref name=birdsofbuxa/> Poachers from Assam frequently come to poach Indian elephants.<ref name=projecttiger />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120423061954/http://www.north-bengal.com/places/jalpaiguri/buxa.htm Travel information for Buxa National Park]
* [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Birds_of_Dooars Birds of Buxa Tiger Reserve]
* [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Butterflies_of_Dooars Butterflies of Buxa Tiger Reserve & Samsing]
* [http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Flora_of_Dooars Flora of Buxa Tiger Reserve & Samsing]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120226204849/http://www.bengalbirds.info/jayantibuxabirds.php Birding trip report of Jayanti Buxa]

{{National Parks of India}}
{{Protected areas of West Bengal}}
{{Geography of India}}
{{Geography of India by state or territory}}
{{Alipurduar topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Tiger reserves of India]]
[[Category:Dooars]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1983]]
[[Category:National parks in West Bengal]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Alipurduar district]]
[[Category:1983 establishments in West Bengal]]
[[Category:Bengal tiger]]

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Buxa Tiger Reserve