The State Forest Department planted 1419 saplings of various species of trees on the world environment day.
On the occasion, the department presented 200 Neem saplings as a gift to the tourists visiting all 9 core and buffer zones of Pench Tiger Reserve.
In all the core and buffer zones, 167 patrolling camps, forest guard nakas, barriers, office campuses, 1169 saplings of fruit plants and 50 saplings of bamboo plants were planted.
The purpose of planting fruit-bearing species of mango, jackfruit, munga, lemon, gooseberry species is to provide nutritious fruits and vegetables to the forest workers including workers living in camps located in remote forest areas at their residence.
This was a special initiative of forest department by planting and distributing 1419 saplings on the special occasion.
The Pench Tiger Reserve comprises the Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park, the Pench Mowgli Sanctuary and a buffer, the official website of Pench Tiger Reserve said.
The Tiger Reserve nestles in the Southern Slopes of the Satpura ranges of Central India. The river Pench, which splits the National Park into two, forms the lifeline of the Park.
To the south of the tiger reserve lies the Pench Tiger Reserve of Maharashtra, the first inter-state project tiger area of the country.
The area of the present tiger reserve has a glorious history. A description of its natural wealth and richness occurs in Ain-i-akbari.
Several natural history books like R. A. Strendale’s ‘Seonee – Camp life in the Satpuras’, Forsyth’s ‘Highlands of Central India’ and Dunbar Brander’s ‘Wild animals of Central India’ explicitly present the detailed panorama of nature’s abundance in this tract. Strendale’s semi-autobiographical ‘Seonee’ was the inspiration behind Rudyard Kipling’s ‘Jungle Book’.
Mowgli, the wolf child was caught by Lieut Moor in the Jungles of Seoni in the year 1831 near the village Sant Vavadi, situated 10 kms away from Seoni.
In the year 1977 an area of 449.392 sq. km. was declared Pench Sanctuary. Out of this, an area of 292.857 sq. km. was declared Pench National Park in the year 1983 and 118.473 sq.km. remained as Pench Sanctuary.
In 1992 Govt. of India declared 757.85 sq. km. including the National Park and sanctuary, as the 19th Tiger Reserve of the country.
The Pench National Park and Pench Sanctuary were renamed as Indira Priyadarshini Pench National Park & Pench Mowgli Sanctuary in year 2002.
