THE UNTAMED BEAUTY OF SATPURA TIGER RESERVE

In Conversation with L. Krishna Moorthy, The Field Director of Satpura Tiger Reserve

- Dr Oishimaya Sen Nag

The Satpura Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh is undoubtedly one of India’s most beautiful wilderness destinations. It is where the magic of nature unfolds. It is a landscape of great diversity covered with rolling hills, deep gorges, gently flowing rivers, roaring waterfalls, and, of course, enchanting forests brimming with wildlife. The Satpura Tiger Reserve, established in 2000, encompasses 2133.30 square kilometers that include the Satpura National Park, Bori and Pachmarhi Sanctuaries with a buffer area. In recent times, the Satpura Tiger Reserve has emerged as one of the country’s finest protected areas and most captivating wildlife tourism destinations.

In this article, we learn more about this fascinating Tiger Reserve from IFS Officer L. Krishna Moorthy, the Additional Chief Conservator of Forests and Field Director of Satpura Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh Forest Department. He is a recipient of the prestigious WWF-PATA Bagh Mitra Award 2015 for his noteworthy contributions to the conservation and monitoring of tigers in the human-dominated landscape of Bhopal from 2012 to 2015. Moorthy served as the Field Director of Satpura Tiger Reserve from 2017 to 2018 and now from 2020 to the present. He has spearheaded many successful conservation programs for the Tiger Reserve during his tenure. He led the voluntary village relocation program of nine villages and strengthened the protection regime of the park. He also introduced significant improvements in habitat management and prey augmentation. He also successfully streamlined ecotourism practices, helped render the park 100% solar-powered and established the Satpura Worker’s Society for the welfare of the Satpura Tiger Reserve’s field staff. Here is his interview with Travel and Environment:

What inspired you to become an IFS officer?