MTR, ATR get CA|TS accreditation

Udhagamandalam: Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (MTR) and Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) in the state were among the 14 tiger reserves in the country that the Union government accredited with the Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS) on the occasion of the International Tiger Day on Thursday.
An internationally accepted conservation tool, CA|TS prescribes the best practices and standards to manage tiger reserves. While CA involves social, cultural and biological significance, area design and legal status, management, community tourism and protection, TS deals with habitat management and tiger populations.
CA|TS is implemented at 125 sites across seven countries. In India alone, it is implemented at 94 sites.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under the environment, forest and climate change ministry had adopted CA|TS in 2020.
With an area extending to 688.59sqkm, MTR is home to 103 tigers, while ATR, which spreads across 1,479.87sqkm, houses 23 tigers.
Scoring 100% in eight of the 17 categories, MTR scored the highest of 92.35% and attained the standard.
K K Kaushal, field director, MTR, said, “MTR is one of the topmost tiger reserves both in terms of biodiversity and management and it is evidenced in our highest score. This motivates all of us not only to sustain our performance but do even better.”
I Anwardeen, field director (incharge), ART, said the reserve had undergone a serious process of conservation and management over the years, helping it attain the international standards. “The field staff have played a major role and they deserve the credit.”
Among the other tiger reserves that were accredited with CA|TS were Parambikulam Tiger Reserve in Kerala, Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka and Sundarbans Tiger Reserve in West Bengal.