Location: Melghat, India
At the northern extreme of the Amravati district of Maharashtra, on the border of Madhya Pradesh, lies Melghat in the South-western Satpura mountain ranges. Melghat means 'meeting of the ghats', which describes the area as a large tract of unending hills and ravines scarred by jagged cliffs and steep climbs.
The Melghat area was declared a tiger reserve in 1974. The Melghat Tiger Reserve is divided into Sipna, Gugamal and Akot Wildlife Division, administratively. Presently, the total area of the Melghat Tiger Reserve is around 1677 km2.
Melghat Tiger Reserve, in Amravati District, is located on the northern boundary of Maharashtra State, in India.
Located in Satpura Hill Ranges, the terrain of Melghat is marked by hilly and rugged terrain, while some parts towards the northern boundary have fairly plain terrain.
In 1972, Melghat Tiger Reserve was among the first nine tiger reserves to be declared in India.
The total extent of the Melghat forest is 2,768 km2.
The main indigenous communities in Melghat are Korku, Gawli and Gond. Most of them practice subsistence agriculture.
The region has three seasons: the monsoons from the middle of June to September, the winter season from October to February, and the summer season from March to the middle of June.
May is the hottest month when the temperature can reach up to 48°C.
Forests are mainly dry deciduous forests classified as Subgroup 5A Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous forests.
Out of the total forest area, almost 75% of the forest is teak dominated, while 25% of the area is mixed, composed of species like Anogeissus latifolia, Lannea coromandelica, Butea monosperma, Haldina cordifolia, Mitragyna parviflora and Garuga pinnata.
Bamboo is widely distributed in Melghat’s forests. Lantana camara, Wrightia tinctoria, Helicteres isora, Zizyphus rugosa represent the undergrowth in the forests.