Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR), situated in the northern Western Ghats of Maharashtra, is one of India’s most ecologically significant protected landscapes. Established in 2010 by merging Chandoli National Park and the Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary, the reserve covers an area of 1,165.57 km², comprising 600.12 km² of core area and 565.45 km² of buffer area. Extending across the districts of Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, and Ratnagiri, STR forms an important ecological link with the forested landscapes of Karnataka and Goa. As the northernmost tiger reserve in the Western Ghats, it plays a vital role in conserving the region’s unique biodiversity while serving as an important habitat for tigers and other wildlife.

The reserve is characterized by rugged mountain ranges, dense evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, deep valleys, steep escarpments, perennial streams, and distinctive lateritic plateaus locally known as Sadas. This diverse landscape, shaped over millions of years by geological and climatic processes, supports a remarkable assemblage of flora and fauna, including numerous endemic and threatened species of the Western Ghats. In addition to its exceptional biodiversity, STR has gained national recognition for its pioneering tiger recovery programme, which focuses on the scientific translocation and establishment of a viable breeding tiger population, strengthening long-term conservation efforts in the northern Western Ghats.