Section 38V of Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 provides that Tiger Reserve should be inviolate. 643 sq km area of Nagarhole National Park is declared as core critical tiger habitat, prior to the promulgation of the "The Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006". Though the relocation of people from inside Nagarhole National Park is in progress since 1998-99, yet nearly 1700 families still resided in the park at the time of recognition of rights under the said Act.