GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION
Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve (RTR) is situated at the junction of two very old mountain ranges, the Aravallis and the Vindhyas. Ranthambhore comprises of distinct areas with great conservation values. Prior to formation of Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, these reserves were managed as hunting reserves. In 1955, a part of the forest was declared as Sawai Madhopur Wildlife Sanctuary (as a game reserve). In 1973, this area was notified as Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, being one of the first nine Project Tiger reserves in India. The Reserve comprises of Ranthambhore National Park along with Sawai Mansingh Sanctuary and Keladevi Wildlife Sanctuary. Ranthambhore National Park (392 km2), Sawai Mansingh Sanctuary (242 km2) and adjoining closed areas are being managed as the Core of the Tiger Reserve, and Keladevi Wildlife Sanctuary (672 km2) and Qualji protected area (40 km2) is being managed as Buffer zone of the Tiger Reserve.
Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve located between latitudes 25°41' N to 26°22' N and longitudes 76°16' E to 77°14' E (see Fig. 1). RTR is situated in the eastern part of Rajasthan in Sawai Madhopur (consists 772.63 km2) and Karauli districts (consists 621.84 km2). River Banas divides Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve into Keladevi Wildlife Sanctuary and Ranthambhore National park including Sawai Mansingh Sanctuary. The total area of the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve is 1,394.47 km2.
CLIMATE
Predominant climate of the Reserve is Sub-tropical dry climate, as these forest areas occur in climates that are warm almost year-round, have long dry seasons which last for several months. Ranthambhore experiences three distinct seasons, winter (October-February), summer (March-June), and monsoons (July-September). In winter night temperature drops below 10 °C, whereas day temperature hovers around 20 °C. Sudden rains decreases the average temperature, in lower valleys sometimes 0 °C or below (specifically in December and January). In summer day temperature crosses 40 °C frequently, night temperature hovers around 30 °C. Maximum temperature crosses 45 °C in May and June. Animal activities restricted near to the source of water in summer days. Seasonal droughts have great impacts on all living things in the forest. The monsoon season is hot and humid, with one or two thunder showers in a week. The average rainfall is 800mm and 90% of them are in the monsoon months. The relative humidity ranges from as low as low as 10 to 15% during summer months to over 60% during the rainy season.
Winds are generally light to moderate. During the pre-monsoon period the northwesterly winds are comparatively strong with occasional dust storms, locally known as Andhi. The northeasterly winds during winters are mild. In the summer season hot winds blow from the direction between SW and NW. Thunder storms occur during the period from May to September. During the hot season, dust storms are also not uncommon. During the month from January to March low pressure areas moving from the west affect the area when the situation of 'cold waves' develop.
LANDFORMS AND THE LAND FORMING PROCESSES
The terrain of the Reserve is varying from highly undulating steep slopes to gentle slopes. Dominant terrain type is hills with steep slopes. The average altitude of the Reserve is 350m above mean sea level. The highest point of RTR is Gazella peak, which is at a height of 507m above mean sea level. The lowest place in RTR is at a height of 244 meters above mean sea level near a village called Bodal. The Great Boundary Fault influenced the terrain of the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve. The Aravallis situated to the northwest of the fault line and the hills of south east are the Vindhya ranges. The Aravali Mountain ranges are characterized by ridges and steep slopes whereas Vindhyas are haracterized by flat tops (locally known as Dangs) and narrow gorges (locally known as Khoh).
Lower Vindhyas tract are highly undulating except for a few small plateaus like Rann ki dang and Mandook, and some small valleys like Kachida, Anantpura, Berda. A part of the terrain comprises of pre-Cambrian Igneous, Metamorphic and Sedimentary rocks belonging to pre-Aravalli-Vindhyan system. Pre-Aravalli rock units are made up of Quartzite, Mica, Schist, and Gneiss etc. The rocks of the Vindhyan super group are made up of sand stones, shale, limestone and breccias of widely variable composition & characters occupying most part of the reserve.
The predominant soils types are lithosols and regosis. These are in situ soils on the hills, and hill slopes. These types of soils are shallow with gravels very near the surface, light textured, fairly drained, reddish in color. Recent alluvium also found along the flood plains of the Chambal and the Banas.
DRAINAGE PATTERNS AND STREAM SYSTEMS
Several seasonal streams crisscrossed the Reserve. Chambal and its tributary Banas are the two main perennial streams flowing northern eastern direction of the Reserve. Streams flowing in northern part of RTR form the catchment of the Banas River and streams draining the southern areas directly join the Chambal River. Streams here are seasonal and short lived, but the streams perpendicular the sandstone ridges are perennial, because the folded rocky strata beneath are impervious, and does not permit the water to percolate.
The drainage pattern in this area is mainly rectangular (Hironi 106). Rectangular drainage pattern is found on rocks that show uniform resistance to erosion and has a lot of joints, mainly perpendicular to each other. Flowing water follows the patch of least resistance by accumulating in the joints. In the process of flowing through these rectangular cracks, they widen them and forms a system of valleys that branch out perpendicular to each other.
BIOME
Ranthambore Tiger Reserve belongs to the biome Deserts and Xeric Shrublands (Olson 937). This biome is also called xerófila. This biome receives very less amount of precipitation, usually less than 250mm annually. This is the largest terrestrial biome, and covers about 19% of the earth’s surface. This biome is very rich in alpha and beta floral diversity. Resources are very patchy, and the animals in this biome needs large natural landscapes and water sources in the form of riparian habitats, for persistence. The top soil is mostly highly saline due to high rates of evaporation and the soil has very low or no organic content. This biome is extremely prone to desertification due to extensive grazing and different type of cover alteration.
ECOSYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS
RTR is the single largest contiguous patch of dry deciduous Anogeissus pendula forest left in India. Earlier such forests were found all along the North and Central Aravallis. Currently they have faced much degradations due to anthropogenic pressure and RTR is the last remaining vestiges. The presence of the Vindhyan hill system also adds biodiversity richness to the region. The ruggedness of the region is due to the presence of the Great boundary fault (Prakash and Singh 27).
Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, India has been covered with forests interspersed with lakes and waterholes. The tree species present are tough and are able to withstand the summer heat, and as soon as there is a little bit of rain they burst into bloom. The leaves of Anogeissus pendula are eaten by the chital, sambar, nilgai and chinkara in the forests of Ranthambhore. So this tree forms an integral part of the food chain.
One of the largest specimens the banyan tree (Ficus bengalensis) is found in Ranthambore National Park. The banyan and peepal trees (Ficus religiosa) are worshipped as holy trees in India. In RTR the wild habitat can be divided into: (a) Gentle slopes of hills, (b) Steep slopes and cliffs, (c) Valleys, (d) Plateaus, (e) Sandy plain and (f) Lakes, reservoirs and its environs.
HABITATS
The edaphic climax forests of RTR belong to 5B- Northern Tropical Dry Deciduous forests sub-group and subgroup 6B -DS1-Zizyphusscrub. The degraded forests in RTR fall in the sub group DS1-Dry deciduous scrub and SS4 -Dry Grasslands (Champion and Seth 167). The dominant vegetation is Anogeissus pendula in association with Butea, Acacia, Capparis, Zizyphus and Prosopis species. The Reserve comprises of steep hills, shallow perennial lakes, gentle slopes, narrow valleys, plateaus etc. and animal and plant communities associated with such habitats are found.
PLANT AND ANIMAL COMMUNITIES
Fairly large area is dominated by Dhok (Anogeissus pendula) wih Jarkeet (Grewia flavescens) in under-story as a common associate. Other than Dhok, most common species on the slopes are Salar (Boswellia serrata), tendu (Diospyros melanoxylon), Raunj (Acacia leucophloea), Kadaya (Sterculia urens), Cheela (Butea monosperma), Amaltas (Cassia fistula), Churel (Holoptelia integrifolia), Gurjan (Lannea coromandelica), Khair (Acacia catechu) etc. The common associates of Khair are, Raunj (Acacia leucophloea), Ber (Zizyphus nummularia), Gut ber (Zizyphus xylopyra) etc (Alam et al. 7).
Comparatively moist areas are occupied by Jamun (Syzygium cumini), Gular (Ficus glomerata), Behra (Terminalia belerica), Tendu, Pipal (Ficus religiosa), Bargad (Ficus bengalensis) etc. Among the grass species most common are Charkali (Chloris dolicostachya), Lapla (Aristida depressa), Lamp (Aristida adscenionis), Dab (Imperata cylindrica), Kali lamp (Heteropogon contortus), Gander (Vetiveria lawsonii), Banjura (Apluda mutica), Buhari (Eremopogon flaveolatus), Karad (Dichanthium annulatum) etc. Some patches of tropical moist mixed forest mostly consists of Jamun (Syzygium cuminii), Guler (Ficus racemosa), Tendu (Diospyrus melanoxylon), Khajoor (Phoenix sylvestris), Kusum (Schleichera oleosa), Rohini (Mallotus philippinensis), Behera (Terminalia belerica), Aam (Mangifera indica). Such forests are common in the valley areas around water streams, lakes and reservoirs.
Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve harbors a wide diversity of fauna. The Reserve's heterogeneous habitat supports about 32 species of mammals, about 300 species of birds (both resident and migratory), 12 species of reptiles, and few species of amphibians. Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve harbors one of the most diverse assemblage of wild carnivores in south-east Asia, 17 species from 7 different families were confirmed in the course of study. Tiger (Panthera tigris), leopard (Panthera pardus) and sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) dominated the large predator guild, while meso- and small predator guild consists of striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena), caracal (Felis caracal), fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus), golden jackal (Canis aureus), jungle cat (Felis chaus), Desert cat (Felis silvistris), rusty spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus), honey badger (Mellivora capensis), common palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphorditus), Indian gray mongoose (Herpestes edwardsii), small Indian civet (Viverricula indica), small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus), and ruddy mongoose (Herpestes smithi). In a rare occasion sighting of a wild dog/dhole (Cuon alpinus) was recorded, but after that it was never been reported in recent times, presence of Indian/peninsular wolves (Canis lupus pallipes) was also ambiguous since it has never been observed or photo-captured inside the study area.
Wild ungulates include Nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), Sambar (Rusa unicolor), Chital (Axis axis), Chinkara (Gazella bennettii), Wild pig (Sus scrofa) etc. Two species of primates, Common langur (Presbytis entellus) and Rhesus (Macaca mulata) are found in the Reserve, former is widely spread all over the Reserve. Indian crested porcupine (Hystrix indica) is quite common and other rodents such as the Indian gerbille (Tatera indica), and Indian Bush rat (Golunda ellioti) are also common in the Reserve. Common lagomorphs are Indian hare (Lepus nigricollis ruficaudata), and five-striped palm squirrel (Funambulus pennantii).
FOOD WEB AND FOOD CHAINS
The tiger is the apex predator in RTR. They feed on prey species like Nilgai, Sambar and Chital. They occasionally also feed on the common langur and the Rhesus. Leopard a co predator of the tiger in this ecosystem also share the same prey species, but they maintain temporal and some extent of spatial segregation. Most of the time in the year the vegetation is dry and the ungulate population gather in places where there is water resources, mainly in riparian habitats. Riparian habitats are also inhabited by crocodiles and fish.
AN EXAMPLE OF AT LEAST ONE ANIMAL AND ITS NICHE
The Caracal (Felis caracal) a meso-predators felid species in this semi-arid ecosystem (Singh et al. 92). It occurs in low densities and habitat destruction poses a serious threat of extinction. Caracal is nocturnal and elusive. The occurrence of caracal is influenced by the presence of forest and terrain ruggedness. They prefer habitat with dry woodlands and low rainfall regimes. Such habitats provide cover and associated prey species.
AN EXAMPLE OF SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIPS
The striped hyenas (Hyaena hyaena) is another carnivore widely distributed in this landscape. They remain close to human habitation. These animals are nocturnal and forage over long distances scavenging on kills by tiger and leopards, dead cattle disposed by humans. They provide indispensable ecosystem services which is also beneficial to humans. In turn they also benefit from disposal of biotic wastes by humans (Singh et al. 522).
HUMAN-LAND RELATIONSHIPS
The native community around the Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve is mainly agriculturist, pastoralist and labor class. They have high dependency upon the natural resources of the reserve. There are four villages inside the Ranthambhore National Park, 15 villages inside the Keladevi Sanctuary and four villages inside the Sawai Mansingh Sanctuary.
The zone of influence outside the Reserve may be divided into two parts in future. The first part is up to two kilometers from the reserve boundary and it covers 112 villages in this area having maximum forest dependencies, and is called the “eco-development zone" (Krishna 467). Humans residing in this zone extract resources from the forest in the form of timer, firewood etc. Away from RTR the dependency of people on the forest decreases. After two kilometers away from the forest the dependency of people almost becomes zero.
The presence of a protected area nearby affects the livelihood of local people in various forms. Sometimes it provides impediment to developmental activities such as construction of roads, dams, and electric lines etc. are not allowed in the reserve. No major industry is allowed to come up. They also face crop depredation by wild ungulates and livestock loss from predation by wild carnivores. The local residents are restricted to graze their cattle inside the national park. This have in turn have given rise to antagonistic behavior by the local people towards conservation.
ECOSYSTEM STATUS
The ecosystem of RTR is highly under pressure from anthropogenic causes and desertification. Expansion of encroachment by humans into forest land has led to reduction in natural habitat for wild animals. There is a need to arrange for alternate livelihood for the people living in close vicinity of the park, so that they are less dependent on the forest. Reduction in human wildlife conflict by prevention and mitigation measures may promote conservation mindset of the local people.
Works Cited
Alam, Afroz, Vinay Sharma, and Shiv Charan Sharma. "Bryoflora of Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, Rajasthan (India)." Archive for Bryology 106 (2011): 1-8.
Champion, Sir HG, and Shiam Kishore Seth. "A revised survey of the forest types of India." A revised survey of the forest types of India. (1968).
Hironi, K. Landuse Planning and Geomorphology: A Study of Sawai Madhopur. Concept Publishing Company, 1991. Print.
Krishna, P. Hari, et al. "Landscape level analysis of disturbance regimes in protected areas of Rajasthan, India." Journal of Earth System Science 123.3 (2014): 467-478.
Olson, David M., et al. "Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World: A New Map of Life on Earth A new global map of terrestrial ecoregions provides an innovative tool for conserving biodiversity." BioScience 51.11 (2001): 933-938.
Prakash, Ishwar, and Himmat Singh. "Composition and species diversity of small mammals in the hilly tracts of Southeastern Rajasthan." Tropical Ecology 42.1 (2001): 25-33.
Singh, Randeep, et al. "Population and habitat characteristics of caracal in semi-arid landscape, western India." Journal of Arid Environments 103 (2014): 92-95.
Singh, Randeep, et al. "Population density of striped hyenas in relation to habitat in a semi-arid landscape, western India." Acta Theriologica 59 (2014): 521–527.
