UNESCO’s Man and the Biosphere (MAB) program has included the Panna Biosphere Reserve to UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves.
About PTR:
- Location– Vindhyan Hills in northern Madhya Pradesh.
- It is spread over the Panna and Chhatarpur districts.
- It is the 22nd Tiger Reserve of India(1994) and fifth in Madhya Pradesh .
- The terrain here consists of extensive plateaus and gorges.
- This reserve contains the last remaining tiger habitat of North Madhya Pradesh.
About Panna Biosphere Reserve: The Panna Biosphere Reserve in India encompasses Panna National Park, three sections of the Gangau Sanctuary.
Forest and vegetation: The major vegetation of the park is miscellaneous dry deciduous forest mixed with grassland area. The site is characterized by forests, seasonal as well as aquatic, and marshy vegetation.
Rivers: Ken River flows through this reserve and creates beautiful waterfalls on its way to the valley.
Flora: Characterized by forests and marshy vegetation. It has an abundance of rare medicinal plants as well as other non-timber forestry products such as Kattha, gum, and resins.
Fauna:
- Endangered animals like Tiger, Leopard and Chinkara.
- It is also home to the Siyah Gosh (Felis caracal) and Jungle cat (Felis chaus).
- Other exotic animals like Chital, Nilgai, Sloth Bear, Sambhar.
- More than 200 species of birds including the King vulture, Indian Vulture, and bar-headed goose.
Significance: Panna National Park was declared as the 22nd Tiger Reserve of India and the 5th in Madhya Pradesh in the year of 1994. It is a critical tiger habitat area and hosts the Panna Tiger Reserve, as well as the World Heritage site of the Khajuraho Group of Monuments.
Read More – Other Biosphere Reserves
