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News: The Supreme Court directed Jharkhand to notify Saranda as a wildlife sanctuary; area fixation and exclusions are under judicial review.
About Saranda Wildlife Sanctuary
- Location: It is a proposed wildlife sanctuary within the Saranda Forest Division located in West Singhbhum district of Jharkhand.
- Naming: The Saranda, literally means “700 hills” in local language.
- Area covered: The cabinet approved the notification of 314.65 sq km of the Saranda forest as a wildlife sanctuary.
- The area has three elephant corridors that link Saranda to Similipal and Sundargarh, ensuring ecological connectivity.
- History:
- It was declared a Game Sanctuary in 1968 under undivided Bihar.
- In 2001, Jharkhand-govt declared “Singhbhum Elephant Reserve“, comprising the entire area of the Saranda Forest Division as its core zone.
- In 2022, the National Green Tribunal directed Jharkhand to notify it under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
- River: The perennial Karo and Koina rivers flow through the Saranda landscape.
- Major tribes: It includes Ho, Munda, Oraon and some primitive tribes.
- Each and every tribal village has a sacred grove (Sarna) of about 2–5 acres of forests.
- Flora: The forest has dense Sal, along with Kusum, Mahua, mushrooms, and rare orchids.
- It supports elephants, four-horned antelope, sloth bears, flying lizards, and migratory birds.
