India earns its stripes, tiger population at 3,167

Experts felt that adopting an adequate number of green infrastructure projects is an important step in recovering the tiger population in a fragmented landscape.
Image used for representational  purpose only. (File Photo)
Image used for representational purpose only. (File Photo)

MYSURU:  India has emerged as a leader in the conservation of wild tigers, as the population of the big cat in the country has almost doubled since 2006 to cross the 3,000 mark. According to the tiger status data, revealed by PM Narendra Modi during the commemoration of 50 years of Project Tiger at the KSOU Convention Hall here on Sunday, the minimum population estimate of tigers in the country is 3,167, a rise of 1,756 big cats in just one-and-a-half decades.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi poses for
a photo before a safari at Bandipur Tiger
Reserve during commemoration of 50 years
of Project Tiger | Udayashankar S

The data revealed that 70 per cent of the tiger population of the world is in India, which has 53 tiger reserves. The fifth cycle of the All-India Tiger Estimation (2022) covered forested habitats in 20 states with a foot survey of over 6,41,449 km for carnivore signs and prey abundance estimation. Camera traps were placed at 32,588 locations, resulting in 4,70,81,881 photographs, of which 97,399 were of tigers. In all, 6,41,102 man-days were invested in the survey, which is the world’s largest effort for any wildlife assessment to date.

The Nilgiris cluster, which stretches from Nagarahole to BRT Hills in the Western Ghats landscape, houses the largest tiger population in the world, and has contributed significantly to the colonisation of tigers in neighbouring areas, the data revealed. The region with habitat restoration and anti-poaching measures has helped stabilise the tiger population.

Also, a significant reduction in tiger occupancy has been observed throughout the landscape and colonisation of tigers in the northern parts of the Western Ghats, indicating good connectivity across the landscape from Nilgiris Cluster to BRT, including Nagarhole, Wayanad and Bandipur.

The Central Indian Highlands and Eastern Ghats landscape has the highest population of 1,161 tigers, and it is the best tiger habitat in the country with conservation efforts from Odisha, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh protecting the core areas.  

‘Green projects played key role’

With management activities, like prey augmentation, habitat restoration, and protection, there is a high potential for improving the tiger population in Jharkhand, Odisha, Chattisgarh, and Telangana, it stated. The Shivalik Hills and Gangetic Plains landscape with 804 tigers and Terai region have found mention in the 200 globally important eco-regions for their unique large mammal assemblage.

Experts felt that adopting an adequate number of green infrastructure projects is an important step in recovering the tiger population in a fragmented landscape. The report mentioned that the North Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra Plains landscape has 195 tigers and Sunderbans landscape 100. The tiger population was estimated to be 1,411 in 2006.

The numbers jumped to 1,706 in 2010. While 2,226 tigers were estimated in 2014, the total stood at 2,967 in 2018. Modi launches International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA) At a time when the efforts of the country in protecting tigers have gained global recognition, the International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA) was launched in the city on Sunday.

Experts ask why partial report released
Experts and forest department officials have questioned why a partial all-India Tiger Estimate report was released as the final report will be released in July. 

New  Alliance 
The Prime Minister launched International Big Cats Alliance on Sunday. It will focus on the conservation of the seven major big cats

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