Tiger Conservation in India

Context: India’s tiger population increased to 3,682 in 2022, up from 2,967 in 2018, according to the latest government data released on International Tiger Day (July 29).

Key highlights of the Data

• The data report was released jointly by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
• In 2022, the highest number of tigers, 785, were reported to be in Madhya Pradesh, followed by Karnataka (563), Uttarakhand (560), and Maharashtra (444).
• Since 2014, India’s tiger numbers have been increasing at 5% to 6% each year.
• India’s tigers are largely concentrated in 53 dedicated tiger reserves spanning about 2.3% of India’s total land area.
• The reserves with the most number of tigers were the Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, which reported 260 animals, followed by Bandipur (150), and Nagarhole (141), both in Karnataka.
• Approximately 35% of the tiger reserves urgently required enhanced protection measures, habitat restoration, ungulate (deer, chital, blackbuck) augmentation, and subsequent tiger reintroduction.
• Nearly a quarter of the tigers were reportedly outside protected areas.

About Tiger

• The tiger (Panthera tigris) is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus Panthera.
• Indian Sub Species: Panthera tigris tigris.
• Significance: It is an apex predator, considered a keystone species in their ecosystems.
• Tiger Range Countries: India, Nepal, China, Russia, Bhutan, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, Sumatra (Indonesia), and Malaysia.
• Threats: Habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation and poaching.
• Protection Status:
  • Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
  • IUCN Red List: Endangered
  • CITES: Appendix I

About the Project Tiger

• Launch: It was launched in 1973 from the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand.
  • It was initiated in response to the rapid decline in the tiger population due to poaching, habitat loss, and other human activities.
  • It was initially launched in 9 Tiger reserves (TRs) in different states of India.
• Aims and objectives:
  • To ensure the survival and maintenance of the tiger population in specially constituted Tiger reserves throughout India.
  • Reduce the causes of habitat loss for tigers and take appropriate management measures to counteract them.
  • To the greatest degree, habitat degradation must be repaired to allow ecosystem recovery.
  • Maintain a healthy tiger population for environmental, scientific, cultural, and aesthetic reasons.
• Key features of the Project Tiger:
  • it is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
  • Implementing Agency: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was established through Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006 to provide statutory authority to Project Tiger.
  • Funding pattern: Centre provides financial assistance to States of 60% and 50% for expenditure on all non-recurring items and expenditure on recurring items respectively. North Eastern and Himalayan States are provided 90% central assistance in both cases.
  • Adopting core buffer strategy to manage TRs: The various tiger reserves were created in the country based on the ‘core-buffer’ strategy.
    • Core area: The core areas are free of all human activities. It has the legal status of a national park or wildlife sanctuary.
    • Buffer areas: The buffer areas are subjected to ‘conservation-oriented land use’. They comprise forest and non-forest land.
  • Community participation: Project Tiger recognizes the importance of involving local communities in tiger conservation efforts and promotes their participation in decision-making processes.
  • Habitat improvement: The project aims to improve the quality of tiger habitats by taking measures such as controlling poaching, managing forests, and reducing human-wildlife conflict.

Success/Performance of the Project Tiger

• Increase in tiger population: According to the recently published ‘5th cycle of India’s Tiger Census’, the tiger population in India has grown from 1,411 in 1972 to 3,167 in 2022.
• India’s achievements in the tiger conservation:
  • Highest tiger population in the world: India currently harbours more than 70% of global wild tiger population, which is increasing at an annual rate of 6%.
  • TX2 achievement: India achieved the targets set under TX2 initiative in 2018 (4 years in advance).
    • Tx2 is the global goal to double the number of wild tigers by the year 2022. It was adopted in 2010 at the St. Petersburg Tiger Summit by 13 tiger range countries.
  • CA|TS accreditation: 14 Tiger Reserves in India have been awarded with international Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS) accreditation.
    • CA|TS are globally accepted conservation tool that sets best practices and standards to manage tigers and encourages assessments to benchmark progress.
• Establishment and development of new TRs: From nine tiger reserves covering 18,278 sq km in 1973, ‘Project Tiger’ has expanded to 53 reserves encompassing over 75,000 sq km (approximately 2.4% of India’s geographical area) today.

What are the concerns associated with the Project Tiger?

• Habitat fragmentation: The creation of designated tiger reserves has led to habitat fragmentation, which can result in isolated tiger populations that are more vulnerable to genetic problems, disease, and other threats.
• Human wildlife conflicts and Retaliatory killings: Human-tiger conflict has increased in recent years due to factors like- habitat loss/fragmentation/degradation, saturation of tiger populations in certain regions, increase in human settlements and agricultural lands around protected areas etc.
• Limited genetic diversity: The expansion of tiger populations in designated reserves has led to inbreeding and a lack of genetic diversity, which can impact the health and survival of tiger populations in the long term.
• Structural and implementation issues with Project tiger:
  • Lack of confidence and trust building between the forest department and the local communities leading to absence of their proactive participation in conservation efforts.
  • Low capacity among local forest officials to effectively conduct surveillance and monitoring of tiger population.
  • Lack of adequate protection in outside areas: As per the latest cycle of the All-India Tiger Estimation, 2018 nearly 35% of tigers in India are found outside tiger reserves.
  • Issues related to rehabilitation and relocation of population from critical tiger habitats.
  • Financial constraints in some TRs to undertake activities like restoration of habitats.

Other important measures for tiger conservation

• M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers Intensive-Protection & Ecological Status): It is a monitoring system developed by the NTCA, which uses advanced technology to monitor and protect tigers and other wildlife in India’s tiger reserves.
• International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA): Recently our Prime Minister launched the IBCA for conservation of seven big cats namely Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar and Puma harbouring our planet.
• Global Tiger Recovery Programme: It is an international initiative aimed at conserving and restoring tiger populations and their habitats across their range countries. The program was launched in 2010 at the International Tiger Summit held in St. Petersburg, Russia, and is supported by the Global Tiger Forum, the World Bank, and other international organizations.
• Tiger Census: It is a national-level survey conducted periodically to estimate the population of tigers and assess the status of their habitats in the country. The tiger census is conducted by the NTCA in collaboration with the state forest departments and other partner organizations.

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