Linkages in Western Indian Landscape: The Ranthambhore-Kunno-Madhav landscape in the Aravalli and vindhya hill ranges of the Western Indian Fragmented landscape is a good number of vital tiger population units of the India. The landscape comprises One Project Tiger area and One Wildlife Sanctuary and One National Park (Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve-RTR (Raj), Kela devi Sanctuary (Raj.), Sawi Mansingh Sanctuary, Kunno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary (M.P), Madhav National Park (M.P) .) and is therefore vital for the long term conservation of the tiger. The most vital and the major part of the landscape is the portion that connects Ranthambhore to kela devi sanctuary and further from Kela devi to Kunno Sanctuary. The river banas putting Ranthambhore and kela devi separate from each other. And The Chambal river separates RTR, Keladevi from Kunno Wildlife Sanctuary. Ranthambhore is most important conservation area and becoming increasingly surrounded by high density human population, modified environments and cattle population that threaten the park and reducing it to small isolated habitat blocks of natural eco systems in the long term. Landscape is also a abode of Gharials –The National Chambal river gharial Sanctuary. Habitat loss, isolation and Human –Wildlife Conflict:- Increased illegal cattle grazing inside the Tiger Reserve is resulting in fodder less forests - that have tree cover, but virtually no fodder to support even small populations of the tiger’s prey. Further such direct and indirect conflicts between human and wildlife leads to increased crop raiding, cattle lifting incidents. And this will turn up in to retaliation killing of wildlife and Tigers. The habitat loss and fragmentation has different consequences for different animals. While this has serious effects on some animals like woodland birds, and large herbivores and carnivores, it may not be so disastrous for some animals like Wild boar and Nilgai (et al ). While the loss of forest cover and depletion of prey base has obvious decimating effects on the tiger, the tiger has the proven ability to disperse through tenuous linkages for short distances maintaining vital genetic links between metapopulations. The present state of the link has the potential of supporting tiger metapopulations in several large small to large forested patches relatively free of biotic pressure connected by forested linkages. It is expected that if the availability of prey, water and Refuge cover in these forested patches and linkages is ensured, the RTR- Kunno-Madhav Landscape has potential for maintaining a viable, linked population of tigers. The changes in the land use in the area, mainly through the building of Canals, rail lines, hotels and highways is biggest threat to linkages. In between RTR and Kunno water canal born from the the dam “ “is transecting both PA horizontally up to 80 km south to north. Introduction of the PA’s- Connectivity between PA’s or linkages between the PA’s federally falls in two states those are Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. However linkages majorly fall in North- western Madhya Pradesh in the banks of The Chambal River. And North-East of Rajasthan there spilling over population of Tigers are lives in Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve. The Aravalli mountain system divides the state into two unequal parts with the arid and semi-arid tracts to the west of the Aravallis and the eastern plains of Banas and Chappan, the Hadoti and the Malwa Plateau, to the east. These diverse geological formations coupled with different climatic regimes have led to the diversity of flora and fauna, some of which are endemic to the region. Biogeographically, Rajasthan falls under two Zones as per the Rodgers and Panwar Classification (1988): Biogeographic Zone Zone 3 Indian Desert and Zone 4 Semi Arid Zone. Biotic Province Zone 3-Indian Desert 3B Thar Desert Zone 4-Semi Arid 4A Punjab Plains 4B Gujarat Rajwara Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve: Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve is located between 25º54’ -26º12’N , 76 º23’-76º35’ E in the South Eastern part of the Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan, largest state of India. The dense forest of Anogeissus Pendula Edgew. (Dhok), along with other tree associates and shrubby and herbaceous layers provides shelter to ample of wildlife and especially Panthera Tigris (Bengal Tiger). RTR spreads over 1394.48 km2 of dry deciduous forest and in a unique area where two hill systems meet — the Aravallis and the Vindhyas. The tiger reserve derives its name from the fortress of Ranthambhore which goes back in time for 1000 years. The area around is dotted with the crumbling ruins of a historic past. Ranthambhore National Park was one of the first of nine tiger reserves declared in 1973. It was also one of the smallest tiger reserves. By the mid 1980’s this area shot to both national and international fame. It is where the tiger ‘rewrote’ its natural history. It became one of the finest areas in the world to see wild tigers. This is a fragile ecological system, which the tiger share with other carnivores like the leopard and the caracal. Thousands of sambar deer roam the rich forests and both tiger and sambar deer are totally diurnal in their habits. Several lake systems in the National Park have healthy populations of the Indian Marsh Crocodile and are favorite haunts of the tiger. Today the Naitonal Park has 35 to 45 tigers which is also the figure for the state of Rajasthan. It is therefore the last surviving population in Rajasthan. Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve faces immense biotic pressure from the resource dependent human populations residing both inside and on the periphery. There are 42 villages within the boundary of Keladevi Sanctuary and another 190 villages within 5 km of the sanctuary boundary. There are 60 villages located within 2 km of Ranthambhore National Park and 36 villages located within 2 km of Sawai Man Singh Sanctuary. All the villages are primarily dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. Their economy is supplemented by animal husbandry. They have numerous buffaloes and goats but very few herds of sheep and camel. The villagers tend to graze their animals in the fallow agricultural lands and the village commons during the lean periods of the year, viz., January to June. However, during the monsoon, the villagers enter the forest to graze their animals. The grazing problem in the RTR has attained ominous levels and if unchecked at this stage, the Rathambhore Core area might go the Sariska way. It is like an army of livestock that enter the very fragile core area and plunder the biomass. The Ranthambhore National Park which is the core of the Tiger Reserve is the only area left for the breeding tigers in the entire range of Aravalli. This is the last surviving western population and is the only one alive in Rajasthan. The conservation of the tigers and the ecosystems in the whole region depends on the survival of this breeding population. Unabated grazing is probably encouraging poaching, which threatens the existence of this last surviving population The Ranthambhore core area has severe grazing problems particularly in the three areas, on the eastern side the Indaladang and Khatola Valley region, on the western side the Anatpura, Bakola, areas and with less intensity near the Sawai Madhopur town. The villagers start entering the park soon after the monsoon. They camp inside the park during the entire monsoon period and only go back to their villages sometime in December/ January depending on the availability of the grass. The villagers have informally demarcated the grazing areas for each village which are called ‘Kakad’. During the day they graze their cattle in the Kakad and camp at one place called ‘Kirkadi’. The group size of the herds may range from 30-40 during the day time and the number becomes almost double as their relievers join them. Identified Corridor Areas in Rajasthan: 1. RTR- Nain ya ki quadi-Keladevi (SWM-Karauli division) 2. Keladevi-Karanpur-Chambal (Kaurauli division) Forest Department has also identified some of the areas that has potential to act as a corridor to abode dispersal population of animals from RTR. 1. Bundi Division 2. Dholpur Division 3. Tonk division Kunno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary- Kuno Wildlife Division is situated on the north western part of Chambal commissionary in the Sheopur kalan district, between latitudes 250 30' 74" N to 260 5 '22" N and longitude 760 58' 42" E to 770 19' 40" E. The boundary of Shivpuri district forms the part of the eastern and southern boundaries of the division while Sheopur kalan (territorial) division has the rest of the boundary in common with the Kuno wildlife division. The total area of the division is 1235.38 Sq. Km. The sanctuary notified in 1981 has the forests of six ranges (890 sq. km.) providing buffer to the sanctuary. The topography of Kuno wildlife division is typical of a river valley formation. The Kuno river, flowing from south to north almost bisects the area division. The eastern parts and western plateau part of the division are relatively flat and less undulating as compared to the northern and southern parts which have steep hillocks and deep gorges. The highest and lowest points of the division are 213m to 520 meters above sea level. The main river systems of the division are Parvati, Seep, Padam, Kuno and Kunwari. There is plenty of water in the rivers during rainy season, but most of them dry up by summer. Kuno river inside the sanctury remains in the form of small water pools called "deh" which provide perennial water source, along with the perennial spring kair khoh. Geologically the plan area of Kuno falls in vindhyan series, composed of sand stone. The plan area has mainly Bhander sandstone, Bhander limestone and Rewa sandstone.