Pilibhit Tiger Reserve Terai Grassland Ecology Uttar Pradesh

Pilibhit Tiger Reserve in Pilibhit and Bahraich districts of Uttar Pradesh protects 73,000 hectares of Himalayan terai tall grassland and Sarda-Chauka river floodplain forest along the Nepal border. The reserve achieved a tiger density of 1 per 35 square kilometres — among the highest in India — and was awarded the TX2 Tiger Conservation Award in 2016 for doubling tiger numbers. Tharu tribal cooperatives in buffer villages practise traditional grass-mat weaving using sarpatia and khus grass harvested from terai meadows under Van Panchayat permit. Cooperative honey collectors harvest wild forest honey from Pilibhit forest buffer zone. Ecotourism cooperative guides from Mahef and Barahi villages lead jeep safari tours under Pilibhit Forest Division permit. The reserve supports significant populations of barasingha swamp deer, hispid hare, and Gangetic river dolphin in adjacent Sarda river sections.