{"id":60401,"date":"2025-08-22T11:03:59","date_gmt":"2025-08-22T05:33:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=60401"},"modified":"2025-08-22T11:03:59","modified_gmt":"2025-08-22T05:33:59","slug":"ntca-restricts-tiger-corridors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/ntca-restricts-tiger-corridors\/","title":{"rendered":"NTCA Restricts Tiger Corridors to Minimal Pathways"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Tiger Corridors Latest News<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The NTCA has restricted tiger corridors to only the 32 least cost pathways, easing project clearances but raising ecological concerns.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Introduction<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In a major policy shift, the <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/national-tiger-conservation-authority-ntca\/\" target=\"_blank\">National Tiger Conservation Authority<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (NTCA) has restricted the identification of tiger corridors to only the 32 \u201cleast cost pathways\u201d listed in its 2014 report.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This decision comes less than a month after the NTCA affirmed before the Bombay High Court that tiger corridors should reflect multiple scientific studies and ecological benchmarks.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">While the move simplifies clearances for development projects, it has sparked debate among conservationists, as corridors are essential for tiger movement, genetic diversity, and long-term survival.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Importance of Tiger Corridors<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Tiger corridors are natural linkages connecting tiger reserves and protected areas, allowing safe movement of tigers and other wildlife across fragmented landscapes.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They help maintain genetic diversity, reduce human-wildlife conflict, and ensure the ecological stability of tiger populations.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Under the <\/span><b>Wildlife Protection Act, 1972<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, projects in or around corridors require approval from the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL).<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>NTCA\u2019s Policy Reversal<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In July 2025, NTCA told the Bombay High Court that tiger corridors must be defined using:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protected Areas occupied by tigers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Least cost pathways identified in 2014.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Corridors in Tiger Conservation Plans (TCPs).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wildlife Institute of India (WII) studies (2016, 2021).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Quadrennial All-India Tiger Estimation (AITE) data.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">However, in August 2025, NTCA issued a clarification narrowing corridors only to:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2014 least cost pathways.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Corridors listed in reserve-specific TCPs.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This rollback excluded more robust WII studies and AITE-based refinements, surprising experts since NTCA\u2019s 2014 report itself had called these corridors a \u201cminimal requirement.\u201d<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Legal and Judicial Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Bombay High Court is hearing a petition challenging the Maharashtra State Board for Wildlife\u2019s April 2025 decision to forward only projects within the least cost pathways for SC-NBWL approval.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">NTCA\u2019s sudden clarification, submitted during hearings, has reshaped the case. The Environment Ministry has indicated that further refinement of corridors, based on AITE data, may be delayed until the High Court delivers its ruling.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Scientific Perspectives<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Contemporary research highlights that <\/span><b>limiting corridors to the least cost pathways underestimates the complex movement of tigers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A July 2025 <\/span><b>study by Nagpur\u2019s LRC Foundation identified 192 potential corridors across 10 central Indian states<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, connecting 30 tiger reserves and around 150 protected areas.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This dense network demonstrates that multiple pathways, not just the shortest routes, are critical for tiger survival.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Concerns and Criticism<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conservationists fear that the NTCA\u2019s narrowed definition weakens tiger protection at a time when India\u2019s tiger population is recovering but facing increasing habitat fragmentation.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By disregarding updated scientific studies and broad ecological benchmarks, the decision risks undermining the long-term connectivity essential for sustaining viable tiger populations.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Critics argue that this approach prioritises short-term project clearances over India\u2019s global conservation commitments.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><strong>Future Outlook<\/strong><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The issue is likely to remain under judicial scrutiny in the coming months. Conservation scientists are pressing for the incorporation of advanced modelling, telemetry data, and AITE-based evidence in corridor planning.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400; text-align: justify;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">With India home to nearly 3,000 tigers, over 70% of the global wild population, the protection of ecological corridors will be crucial to maintaining its conservation success story.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b>Source:<\/b> <a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/ntca-limits-tiger-corridors-to-minimal-requirement-multiple-projects-to-benefit-10203822\/#:~:text=In%20a%20volte%2Dface%20less,the%20number%20of%20such%20corridors%2C\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IE<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has limited tiger corridors to minimal pathways identified in 2014.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":60406,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[60,2300,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-60401","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-mains-articles","9":"tag-tiger-corridors","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60401","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60401"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60401\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/60406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60401"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60401"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60401"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}