BHUBANESWAR: As India celebrated on Monday a significant rise in its tiger population with the figure closing into the promised number of 3,000, Odisha’s contribution to the growth remains zero. It was 28 in 2014 and remains unchanged today. That sums up the story of State’s tiger conservation.
The Status of Tiger in India 2018, released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, brought cheers as country’s tiger population is estimated to have doubled in last 12 years - from 1,411 in 2006 to 2,967 in 2018. It was 2,226 in the national estimation carried out by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in 2014.
During the 12-year period, the tiger population in Odisha has come down from 45 to 28. As per the census report, tiger population in the State which was around 45 in 2006 declined to 32 in 2010 and 28 in 2014. The figure continued to be same in 2018.“The tiger population in the country continues to increase. The Southern Western Ghats and Valmiki populations have shown improvement. However, those of North East Hills and Odisha remain critically vulnerable,” stated the report.
It further pointed out that ‘the poor and continuing decline in tiger status in Odisha and Chhattishgarh (part of Central India and Eastern Ghats landscape) is a matter of concern’ and requires ‘immediate conservation attention’.
The only solace for Odisha, however, is that the NTCA in its 4th Cycle of Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Tiger Reserves in India report placed Odisha in “Good” category among 18 tiger states. The State which scored 61.03 per cent is at a better position compared to Jharkhand, Chhattishgarh, Rajasthan, Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh. While Similipal scored 72.66 per cent in evaluation, Satkosia managed 67.97 per cent.
The report also pointed out Odisha tigers as population of conservation priority based on genetic distinctiveness, diversity and vulnerability along with those those of North East Hills, Southern Western Ghats, and Valmiki. It also talked about tiger supplementation in Similipal.“For tiger reintroduction or supplementation in Palamau and Similipal, tigers need to be sourced from the closest source in the same genetic cluster,” it added.
The Forest and Environment Department couldn’t be reached for their comments on the latest census report of the NTCA. However, the focus remains on Odisha Government for its next move as it had earlier challenged NTCA’s previous 2014 census and conducted another tiger status survey claiming that the State has around 40 tigers.