The five tiger reserves of Karnataka and their core and buffer areas
Background
The National Tiger Conservation Authority lists five tiger reserves in Karnataka, grouped in its Southern Zone: Bandipur, Bhadra, Biligiri Ranganatha, Kali and Nagarhole.
Bandipur is the largest of the five, with a core area of 872.24 sq km and a buffer area of 584.06 sq km, a total area of 1456.3 sq km.
Nagarhole has a core area of 643.35 sq km and a buffer area of 562.41 sq km, a total of 1,205.76 sq km.
Kali has a core area of 814.88 sq km and a buffer area of 282.63 sq km, a total of 1,097.51 sq km.
Bhadra has a core area of 492.46 sq km and a buffer area of 571.83 sq km, a total of 1,064.29 sq km.
Biligiri Ranganatha Temple is the smallest of the five, with a core area of 359.10 sq km and a buffer area of 215.72 sq km, a total of 574.82 sq km.
Bandipur carries the earliest protected-area notification year among them, 1973-74, while Bhadra's is 1998-99.
Of the Authority's Southern Zone reserves, Mudumalai is in Tamil Nadu and Parambikulam in Kerala, while Sahyadri is a Maharashtra reserve that the Authority places in its Central Zone, so none of these three belongs to Karnataka.
In plain words
NTCA National Tiger Conservation Authority — The statutory body that maintains the national list of tiger reserves with their core and buffer areas.
Core area Core area — The strictly protected inner zone of a tiger reserve, around which a buffer area of lesser restriction is notified.