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{{Short description|National park in India}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Chandoli National Park
| alt_name = Sahyadri Tiger Reserve
| iucn_category = II
| photo = Oriental Garden Lizard or Bloodsucker.jpg
| photo_width =
| photo_alt =
| photo_caption = Oriental garden lizard at Chandoli National Park
| map = India |relief=1
| location =[[Satara District]], [[Kolhapur District]], [[Sangli District]], [[Maharashtra]], [[India]]
|nearest_city=[[Sangli]], [[Kolhapur]]| coordinates = {{coords|17|11|30|N|73|46|30|E|display=inline, title}}
| area = {{convert|317.67|km2}}
| established = May 2004
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
| governing_body = [http://www.mahaforest.nic.in Maharashtra State Forest Dept.]
|child=|embedded={{designation list | embed=yes
| designation1 = WHS
| designation1_offname = Natural Properties - Western Ghats (India)
| designation1_date = 2012 <small>(36th [[World Heritage Committee|session]])</small>
| designation1_type = Natural
| designation1_criteria = ix, x
| designation1_number = [https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1342 1342]
| designation1_free1name = State Party
| designation1_free1value = India
| designation1_free2name = Region
| designation1_free2value = [[Indian subcontinent]]
}}| website = http://chandolinationalpark.com/ (unofficial)
}}

'''Chandoli National Park'''<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.loksatta.com/daily/20080402/raj02.htm |title=loksatta.com |access-date=2008-04-02 |archive-date=2013-07-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728160520/http://www.loksatta.com/daily/20080402/raj02.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> is a [[National parks of India|national park]] spread over [[Satara district|Satara]], [[Kolhapur]] and [[Sangli District]]s, [[Maharashtra]] [[States of India|state]], [[India]], established in May 2004.<ref name="TOI">{{cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/967367.cms |title=Tiger reserve status could be pride of Sahyadri |publisher=Times of India |access-date=2006-09-27 |work=The Times Of India |date=2004-12-22}}</ref> Earlier it was a Wildlife Sanctuary declared in 1985. Chandoli Park is notable as the southern portion of the [[Sahyadri Tiger Reserve]], with [[Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary]] forming the northern part of the reserve

==Sahyadri Tiger Reserve==
{{Main|Sahyadri Tiger Reserve}}

The {{convert|741.22|km2|abbr=on}} Sahyadri Tiger Reserve, including all of Chandoli National Park and [[Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary]] was declared by The [[National Tiger Conservation Authority]] as a [[Project Tiger]] [[tiger reserves of India|tiger reserve]] on May 21, 2007. The Sahyadri Tiger Reserve was then estimated to have nine [[Bengal tiger|tigers]] and 66 [[Indian leopard|leopards]].<ref name="DN">{{cite web |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?NewsID=1166932 |title=Sahyadri is now a tiger reserve |work=Daily News and Analysis |date=May 28, 2008 |access-date=2008-08-05}}</ref>

==Location==
Chandoli National Park is located near the [http://wikimapia.org/415875/ Chandoli Dam] between longitudes 73°40' and 73°53' E and latitudes 17°03' and 17°20'N in Sangli District of Western Maharashtra. It lies between the [[Radhanagri Wildlife Sanctuary|Radhanagiri]] and Koyna Wildlife Sanctuaries and forms the southern part of the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.<ref name="TOI"/>

==History==
The park includes historical places of note including 17th century forts of the [[Maratha Empire]], [[Prachitgad]] and [[Bhairavgad]]. Most of the protected area was used an open jail for the "prisoners of war" of the early [[Battles involving the Maratha Empire|battles]] during Chhatrapati [[Shivaji Maharaj's]] rule.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} [[Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj]] used Prachitgad as an observation point and recreational place.<ref name="MSFD">{{cite web |url=http://www.mahaforest.nic.in/Chandoli.htm |title=Chandoli Wildlife Sanctuary, Kolhapur, Kotoli |publisher=Maharashtra State Forest Department |access-date=2008-08-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090410043320/http://mahaforest.nic.in/Chandoli.htm |archive-date=2009-04-10 }}</ref>

==Geography==
The park spreads along the crest of the Sahyadri Range of the northern [[Western Ghats]]. It forms and protects many perennial water channels, water holes and the Vasant Sagar Reservoir. [[Elevation]] of the park ranges from {{convert|589|-|1044|m|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/2103/ |title=Western Ghats (sub cluster nomination), Western Ghats—Sahyadri Sub-Cluster (with Four Site Elements) |publisher=UNESCO World Heritage Center |access-date=2008-08-05}}</ref> The park receives its water supply from the [[Krishna River#Tributaries|Warna river]] and reservoir as well as several other small streams and rivers. Flat topped mountains, rocky, [[laterite|lateritic]] [[plateau]]s called 'Saddas', almost devoid of vegetation, large boulders and caves are distinctive to the protected areas in the Sahyadri region of the Western Ghats.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}

==Flora==
The forest types seen here are a mix of [[Malabar Coast moist forests]] and [[North Western Ghats moist deciduous forests]]. In the [[dwarf forest|dwarf evergreen forests]], some tree species commonly seen here are the anjani [[Memecylon umbellatum|ironwood tree]], [[jamun]], [[Actinodaphne|pisa]] (angustifolia), [[Ficus glomerata|fig]], [[Olea]] (diocia), katak [[Bridelia retusa|spinous kino tree]], nana or [[Lagerstroemia|Crape myrtle]] (lanceolata), [[Terminalia paniculata|kinjal]], [[Garcinia indica|kokum tree]] and phanasi [[Carallia|false kelat]] (brachiata). Other trees dominating the landscape include asan wood or ain or [[Terminalia tomentosa|Indian laurel]], amla or [[Emblica officinalis|Indian gooseberry]], umbar or [[Ficus|devil fig]] (hispida) and harra or [[Terminalia chebula|chebulic myrobalan]].

Grasses commonly seen here include bangala or [[Andropogon|bluestem grass]] sp., dongari or [[Chrysopogon|golden beard grass]] (fulvus), black spear grass, kalikusli or [[Heteropogon contortus|tangle grass]], anjan grass or [[Cenchrus ciliaris|buffel grass]], grader grass or karad or [[Themeda|kangaroo grass]] (quadrivalvis) and grasses belonging to family [[Poaceae]], like saphet-kusli or Aristida funiculata].<ref>[http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPC/doc/Gbase/kenya_grass/arifun.htm FAO]</ref> [[Insectivorous plant]] species like [[Drosera|sundews]] and [[Utricularia|bladderworts]] sp. are also found in this protected area.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}

==Fauna==
Nearly 23 species of mammals, 122 species of birds, 20 species of amphibians and reptiles are known to be resident in the forests of Chandoli. The [[tiger]],<ref name="DNAIndia 06-2018">{{cite news |last=Kulkarni |first=Dhaval |title=Sahyadri Tiger Reserve camera traps evidence of tigers first time in 8 years |publisher=[[Daily News and Analysis|DNA India]] |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-sahyadri-tiger-reserve-camera-traps-evidence-of-tigers-first-time-in-8-years-2629246 |date=2018-06-26 |access-date=2019-07-11}}</ref> [[leopard]], [[Gaur|Indian bison]], [[leopard cat]], [[sloth bear]] and [[Indian giant squirrel|giant squirrel]] are quite conspicuous here.{{citation needed|date=July 2019}}

Many [[prey]] species of [[ungulate]]s such as the [[Indian muntjac|barking deer]], [[sambar deer]], [[Indian spotted chevrotain|mouse deer]] and [[blackbuck]] are present. A census carried out in 2002 by the Forest Department showed a rise in the number of tigers, leopards, gaur, barking deer, mouse deer, sloth bears and blackbuck. A similar census carried out in 2004 showed a rise in gaur population in the Kolhapur Wildlife Division from 88 to 243.<ref name="ATREE">{{cite web |url=http://www.ecoinfoindia.org/lldb_chandoli_np.php |title=Chandoli National Park |publisher=[[ATREE]], Eco-Informatics Center |access-date=2008-08-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090504142546/http://www.ecoinfoindia.org/lldb_chandoli_np.php# |archive-date=2009-05-04 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

On the 23rd and 24 May 2018, a tiger was camera-trapped in Chandoli, the first such photographic evidence in the Sahyadri Tiger Reserve in 8 years. Prior to that, it was estimated from scat DNA and model-based predictions that the reserve had 5–8 tigers in 2014.<ref name="DNAIndia 06-2018"/>

==Development==
Work undertaken for habitat improvement and development in the Chandoli National Park include removal of [[invasive species]], [[soil conservation]] and [[water conservation]], [[vaccination]] of cattle, research, [[fire prevention]], providing [[salt lick]]s, demarcation of boundary, erection of [[watch tower]]s, maintenance of [[nature trail]]s, [[desalination|desalting]] water holes, development of [[grassland]]s, and procurement of [[wireless]] [[two-way radio]]s.<ref name="GoI">{{cite web |url=http://pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=25824|title=Declaration of Chandoli wildlife sanctuary as National Park |publisher=Government of India, Press Information Bureau |date=12 March 2007 |access-date=2008-08-05}}</ref>

==Threats==
The Maharashtra government has plans to set up the Karadi-Bhogiv [[Hydroelectricity|hydro-electric project]] in the catchment area of the Warna Dam that is expected to use up {{convert|6.78|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} of forest land. On a positive note, nearly 7,894 people and a significant cattle population resident on {{convert|84.29|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} of land in 32 villages within the park. These villages have been successfully [[Relocation (personal)|relocated]] to areas outside the park. This measure has helped to preserve and regenerate some of the vegetation in this protected area.<ref name="ATREE"/>

==See also==
* [[Konkan]]
* [[Wildlife of India]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Sangli district topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1985 establishments in Maharashtra]]

Chandoli National Park - Revision history

>InternetArchiveBot at 23:45, 29 June 2021