Current Affairs

UPSC Mugger crocodiles, Valmiki Tiger Reserve and , Chitwan National Park - English

Why in inews: According to a recent study, anthropogenic threats like illegal fishing and sand mining pose a threat to the mugger crocodiles (Crocodylus plaustris) of the Rapti river.

About mugger crocodiles :

• The mugger crocodile (Crocodylus palustris ) is a medium-sized broad-snouted crocodile, also known as the mugger and the marsh crocodile.
• It inhabits marshes, lakes, rivers, and artificial ponds.
• Geographic Range:
• They are found all over south Asia — India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh — as well as south-eastern Iran.
• The mugger is found in 15 Indian states, with the largest populations in the middle Ganges (Bihar-Jharkhand) and Chambal (Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, and Rajasthan) basins.

 Conservation Status:

• CITES Appendix I
• IUCN Red List: Vulnerable

Conservation Projects:

• Mugger Project At Ramatirtha
• Kakra Crocodile Trail: it is going on in Terai Eastern Forest Division at Khatima, Uttarakhand.
• The Indian Crocodile Conservation Project: it was launched in 1975 in different states in the country.

Other crocodiles species in India

Saltwater or Estuarine Crocodile 

• Habitat: Blackish and freshwater regions of eastern India, Southeast Asia, and northern Australia.
• IUCN Red List: Least Concern
• Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I

Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)

• It is the longest among all living crocodilians.
• IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered 
• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
• CITES : Appendix I

About Valmiki Tiger Reserve :

• Valmiki Tiger Reserve forms the easternmost limit of the Himalayan Terai forests in India.
• It  is the only tiger reserve in Bihar.
• It is situated in the Gangetic Plains bio-geographic zone of the country; the forest has a combination of Bhabar and terai tracts.
• It lies in the northwestern portion of the West Champaran district of Bihar.
• Wild mammals found in the forests of Valmiki Tiger Reserve include tiger, sloth bear, leopard, wild dog, bison, wild boar, etc.

About Chitwan National Park:

• Chitwan National Park (CNP), established in 1973, was Nepal’s first National Park.
• It is located in the Southern Central Terai of Nepal.
• The park is the last surviving example of the natural ecosystems of the ‘Terai’ region and covers subtropical lowland, wedged between two east-west river valleys at the base of the Siwalik range of the outer Himalayas.
• The core area lies between the Narayani (Gandak) and Rapti rivers to the north and the Reu River and Nepal-India international border in the south, over the Sumeswar and Churia hills, and from the Dawney hills west of the Narayani, and borders with Parsa Wildlife Reserve to the east.
• The Chitwan National Park (CNP) is a world heritage property. Beeshazar within it were designated as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.
• In 2003, and associated lakes the buffer zone

About the Gandak River :

• It is also known as the Kali Gandaki and Narayani after the confluence with the Trisuli river in Nepal.
• It is a north-bank tributary of the Ganga in India.
• Origin — It rises in Tibet near the Nepal border.
• It flows southwest into India and then turns southeast along the Uttar Pradesh–Bihar state border and across the Indo-Gangetic Plain.

About Rapti River:

• The West Rapti River is a tributary of the Ghaghara River.
• It has its origins in Nepal.
• The West Rapti River originates at a summit in the Western Himalayas and the Mahabharat range of mountains.
• It joins Ganga River near Patna, Bihar.
• Lungri Khola, Jhimruk Khola, Ami River, Rohini River are the major left-bank tributaries of  Rapti. 
•  Arun Khola is the right bank tributary of the Rapti. 

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