India is undertaking an ambitious plan to establish an inter-state cheetah conservation complex within the Kuno-Gandhi Sagar landscapes spanning Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, according to a 2023-24 progress report of Project Cheetah released recently.

Hence while authorities have been busy preparing the 368-square kilometre Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary for the next batch of cheetahs, the ones in Kuno National Park where felines were brought in phases in two years remain inside enclosures that are only 0.5 to 1.5 square kilometres in size, the new complex aims to create a sustainable habitat for 60-70 cheetahs over the next 25 years.

The report, released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) on the completion of two years of Project Cheetah on September 17, said while a new batch of cheetahs was likely to be brought to the Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary by the end of the year, they would be released into free-ranging conditions over the next five years.

In the initial phase, 5 to 8 cheetahs will be released into a 64-square kilometer fenced area designed to promote breeding.

The combined landscapes of both states include several districts, such as Sheopur, Shivpuri, and Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, and Baran, Kota, and Chittorgarh in Rajasthan. Additionally, neighboring districts like Bhind, Datia, and parts of Uttar Pradesh may be included depending on the cheetahs' movements.

"Both these landscapes, along the interstate border of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, are adjacent to each other, and the combined landscapes together can constitute the Kuno-Gandhi Sagar cheetah landscape for metapopulation management of 60-70 cheetahs after restorative measures, prey availability, and scientific management are effectively in place, as an interstate cheetah conservation complex within the next 25 years under the umbrella of Project Cheetah," the report read.