Four zones and the oldest reserves: how NTCA lists the tiger reserves of India

Background

The National Tiger Conservation Authority groups the tiger reserves of India into four zones: the Central Zone with 21 reserves, the Northern Zone with 10, the Southern Zone with 15 and the North East Zone with 12. Within the Central Zone, Madhya Pradesh has 9 reserves, Maharashtra 6, Chhattisgarh 4 and Odisha 2. Within the Southern Zone, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have 5 each, Kerala and Telangana 2 each and Andhra Pradesh 1. The two tiger reserves listed in Kerala are Parambikulam and Periyar. In the Northern Zone, Rajasthan has 5 reserves, Uttar Pradesh 3 and Uttarakhand 2. Nine reserves carry 1973-74 as their protected area notification year in the authority's list: Bandipur, Corbett, Kanha, Manas, Melghat, Palamau, Ranthambore, Simlipal and Sunderban. Periyar and Sariska carry 1978-79 as their protected area notification year, while Buxa, Indravati, Namdapha and Nagarjunsagar carry 1982-83. For each reserve the list also records the year the tiger reserve itself was notified and its core, buffer and total area.