Globally, all wildlife habitats are shrinking, and wildlife population is becoming more and more isolated over the last century. This is mainly due to the habitat fragmentation owing to anthropogenic pressures. The connection between two forest areas which supports movement of wildlife population is known as a “Wildlife Corridor”.  Corridors are connections across the landscape, that link up areas of habitat – but are sometimes separated by human activities and unnatural structures like roads and dams or even encroachment of forest land. Today, the need to have effective corridors has become even more pertinent – to ensure connection between protected areas, whereby populations can move freely and thereby reduce the possibility of conflict with human as well as within their own species-for food and reproduction. Corridors provide wildlife with an opportunity to find space for their survival and maintaining the gene pool.

Tiger population in India is becoming increasingly isolated due to habitat fragmentation and loss of connectivity. Big cats like Tigers require more space for their survival. Owing to the success of Project Tiger initiative, tiger reserve today have better protection and thus tiger populations are reviving well, especially in Eastern Maharashtra. Most of these tiger reserves have been become successful breeding grounds. However, as the tiger populations exceed the carrying capacity of some of these reserves, young and very old members have to migrate to adjoining areas… But owing to fragmentation of the forest and lack of connectivity, tiger can’t reach the neighboring PAs. In such situations, tigers come out of the PAs and enter the human settlements by chance – and this often creates a conflict situation.

In Marathwada region conservation issue is still a secondary priority for common to concern authority, due to the less forest habitat and environmentally dry region, and less awareness level about wildlife and the habitat. Marathwada has unique wildlife habitat for many rare and endangered species, and Gautala-Autramghat wildlife sanctuary is one of it.

Gautala-Autramghat Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected forest area of Aurangabad, Maharashtra state, India. Gautala-Autramghat Wildlife Sanctuary, administratively comes under the Aurangabad forest division. It lies in the Satmala, Ajanta hill ranges of the Western Ghats; it is administrated by Forest Authority of Aurangabad and Jalgaon District. The sanctuary was established in 1986 in an existing forest area.