The Satpura Tiger Reserve (STR) is a protected area and conservation institution located in the Narmadapuram district of Madhya Pradesh. It is named after the Satpura Range, a Sanskrit term meaning "seven mountains". The reserve was formally notified in 2000 under the central government's Project Tiger scheme. This notification provided the area with stringent legal protection, better funding, and scientific monitoring, primarily to conserve the tiger population.
The STR encompasses a total area of 2,133 km² and is a consolidation of three protected areas: the Satpura National Park (constituted in 1981), the Bori Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Pachmarhi Wildlife Sanctuary. Its mechanism for conservation involves dividing the area into a Core Area of 1339.26 Sq Km and a Buffer Area of 794.04 Sq Km, as per the 2010 notification. The reserve operates under the framework of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and its management includes the successful voluntary relocation of 13 villages from the core areas to reduce human-wildlife conflict.
The STR is an integral part of the Pachmarhi Biosphere Reserve, which was declared in 1999 and is the first biosphere reserve in Madhya Pradesh. It also maintains a crucial corridor connectivity with the Pench National Park. In terms of recent changes, the Core and Buffer zones were brought under the unified control of the Field Director in 2013, and an Eco-Sensitive Zone was notified in 2017. Most recently, the Satpura Tiger Reserve was listed in the tentative list of UNESCO "World Heritage Sites" in 2021.