Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary

Jambughoda is a Wildlife Sanctuary situated in Jambughoda Tehsil, in the South-Central part of Gujarat, and the Kathiawar-Gir dry deciduous forests' ecoregion in India. It located 70 km from Vadodara and 20 km from prominent tourist places such as Pawagadh and Champaner.History and geographyLocated in the Panchmahal district of Central Gujarat and 130.38 km2. area declared as a sanctuary in May 1990, Jambughoda Wildlife Sanctuary is home for a variety of animals and plants. A small part of the sanctuary (Targol Round) falls in the adjoining Vadodara district. The area has two water reservoirs – one at Kada and the other at Targol. These water bodies add to the aesthetic settings and diversity of the habitat. The sanctuary's wildlife depends on these two reservoirs.The most striking feature of the area is the undulating hills having a good forest cover, with the valleys having small human settlements. The places of interest are Kada, Targol and Jhand Hanuman temple. Of these, the most picturesque location is Kada, where a beautiful forest rest house stands on the banks of an irrigation reservoir. Due to its proximity to the cosmopolitan city of Vadodara, the sanctuary is an ideal resort and camping site for the city's people.People of the area are mainly tribal. There are 25 villages (including 5 villages inside the Sanctuary) which are distributed among five forest blocks and two ranges. Local tribals collect minor forest produce from the area for their livelihood. People also allow grazing of their livestock and cut wood in the forest. The status of the management of the PA is good, but needs to be improved by taking up habitat steps, so that animals can be provisioned with adequate food, water and shelter. Grazing and wood removed by local people and fire in the forest cause damage to the habitat. Local people encroach upon the land of the PA and hence the area needs to be re-demarcated.