NEW DELHI: One-third of the country’s 50 tiger reserves, including Nagarhole in Karnataka and Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu, are at or nearing carrying capacity and should now focus on protection and reduction of human impact on the big cats, according to the Tiger Status Report by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
In the 17 tiger reserves that are at or nearing carrying capacity, additional effort to enhance tiger numbers is not essential; mere continuation of protection and reduction of human impact would suffice, the report says.
As many as 19 tiger reserves are still below carrying capacity. With continued investments in conservation efforts and prey density, tiger numbers are likely to increase there. Nine other tiger reserves require interventions in the form of enhanced protection and investments in restoring prey and habitat.
India’s tiger population now stands at 2,967, which is 70% of the global tiger population. Also, nearly 30% of India’s tigers are present outside tiger reserves. “The data for Tiger Estimation 2018 has more accuracy in the sense all camera traps were geo-tagged,” said NTCA chief S P Yadav.
The highest prey densities were recorded for Corbett, Rajaji, Pench-MP and Bandipur. Tiger reserves like Dampa and western Rajaji have reasonable prey and tiger reintroduction/supplementation can be done there, provided a protection regime is in place. In Buxa and Satkosia tiger reserves, protection needs to be enhanced and prey populations build up before reintroduction/ supplementation can be considered.