← 28 October 2026's Current Affairs · Karnataka KPSC Prelims ★★★★★ Mains ★★☆☆☆
Bandipur Tiger Reserve faces 64% staff shortage, NTCA flags concern
Why in News?
64% of posts empty at Bandipur: the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and NTCA facts GS3 Environment tests
NTCA flags 64% staff shortage at Bandipur.
Why it matters: asked in UPSC 2012; factual, Prelims-type; Karnataka-specific
What you need to know
2 min read
The National Tiger Conservation Authority has flagged a staff shortage of 64 per cent at Bandipur Tiger Reserve.
Bandipur is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve and is one of the premier tiger habitats in the country.
Protection depends on frontline staff for patrolling and anti-poaching work.
Sources: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
Key facts
Remember these
- NTCA has flagged a 64% staff shortage at Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka
- Bandipur lies in Chamarajanagar district and is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
- The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve also covers Nagarhole, Mudumalai and Wayanad
- NTCA is a statutory body under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, set up in 2006 following amendment
- Frontline staff do the patrolling and anti-poaching work that tiger protection depends on
Prelims · Mains
How the exam will ask it
Prelims
- The National Tiger Conservation Authority is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
- Bandipur Tiger Reserve forms part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, India's first biosphere reserve, notified in 1986.
- Biosphere reserves are designated under the MAB Programme of UNESCO, with core, buffer and transition zones.
- Project Tiger, launched in 1973, is a centrally sponsored scheme implemented through tiger reserves.
Mains
GS3 (Environment, Conservation): tiger reserves are protected by law and Project Tiger funding, but protection on the ground depends on frontline staff, and a 64% shortage weakens patrolling and anti-poaching work. NTCA oversight, recruitment of guards and watchers, and better staffing norms with training and equipment are the way forward. This also bears on human-wildlife conflict management in Karnataka.
PYQ connection
A question UPSC has already asked on this
Consider the following protected areas:
- Bandipur
- Bhitarkanika
- Manas
- Sunderbans
Which of the above are declared Tiger Reserves?
- 1 and 2 only
- 1, 3 and 4 only
- 2, 3 and 4 only
- 1, 2, 3 and 4
Show answer
Answer: B
Why this matters: today's issue is directly connected to a concept UPSC has already tested. Read the story with this question in mind.
Practise this PYQ →Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka forms part of which biosphere reserve?
- Agasthyamalai
- Nilgiri
- Panna
- Nanda Devi
Show answer
Answer: B — The correct answer is Nilgiri. Bandipur is part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve along with Nagarhole, Mudumalai and Wayanad.
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