The Tillari jungles in the Sindhudurg distrist - that is home to tigers, leopards, elephants and much more - has got the status to conservation reserve.
Tillari is in Dogamarg tehsil of the Sindhudurg district and it connects Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary in Kolhapur, Maharashtra, to Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary in Belagavi district in Karnataka.
"It will go a long way in conservation efforts," said Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, a wildlife and aerial photographer.
State's environment, tourism and protocol minister Aditya Thackeray thanked chief minister and forest minister Sanjay Rathod.
"The Maharashtra government declared the establishment of Tillari Conservation Reserve in the reserve forest of the forest range of Dodamarg in Sawantwadi. The 29.53 sqkm adds a small pug mark in the effort to protect wildlife, biodiversity and the tiger," said Aditya.
This area is home to the tiger, elephants, leopards and more, he added.
Conservation reserves are protected areas that act as buffer zones or migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, reserved and protected forests of India. Tillari is the 13th conservation reserve in the Western Ghats.