Overview
- The 2025 assessment counts more than 1.13 lakh animals in Dudhwa, nearly 18,000 in Katarniaghat, and about 14,000 in adjoining buffers.
- Total wildlife presence across the Terai now exceeds 1.45 lakh, up from roughly 92,000 estimated in 2022.
- The UP Eco-Tourism Development Board invested Rs 161 crore over three years in nature trails, viewing towers, birdwatching points, eco-friendly signage, small cafeterias and children’s activity zones.
- Officials attribute the gains to wetland restoration, grassland work, water-source development, increased patrolling and continuous monitoring, with rising tiger and rhino sightings cited as signs of ecological stability.
- Under the Viksit Uttar Pradesh 2047 vision, the state is scaling trained nature guides, Tharu community homestays and regulated, education-focused visits, a focus reinforced at a recent Lucknow workshop and sites such as the butterfly-rich Shaheed Chandra Shekhar Azad Bird Sanctuary.