Similipal Biosphere Reserve

Similipal derives its name from the tree Simul which means silk cotton. It was officially declared a tiger reserve in the year 1956 and in the year 1973 it was placed under Project Tiger. The Government of India in the year 1994 declared it as a Biosphere Reserve. Similipal is India’s second largest national park.

Location

This biosphere reserve is located in the northern part of the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha. Geographically, it is located at the eastern end of the Eastern Ghat. The biosphere reserve is extended for 4,374 km². It has 845 km² of tiger reserve, buffer area of ​​2,129 km² and transition area of ​​1,400 km².

Vegetation and Wildlife

This biosphere reserve has 96 species of orchids and 1,076 species of flowers. It has humid deciduous tropical forests, semi-evergreen tropical forests, high salt forests, hilltop deciduous dry forests and extensive meadows. It is home to 99 Royal Bengal tigers and 432 wild elephants. It is also famous for chausinghas, gaurs (Indian bison). Identified animal species include 29 species of reptiles, 12 species of amphibians, 42 species of mammals, 264 species of birds all of which together highlight Similipal’s biodiversity.

In general, forest area remains vulnerable to forest fires from early summer to late autumn. They are a phenomenon that is repeated annually, but they are also controlled due to the short duration of rainfall. This duration coincides with the detachment of deciduous forests in forested areas.