Why is There Concern About the Tiger Population in the Western Ghats?
26-08-2023
12:21 PM
1 min read
What’s in today’s article?
- Why in News?
- About Project Tiger
- Tiger Census Report for 2022
- What does it reveal about the Health of Tiger Reserves?
- What are the Causes of Local Decline?
- About National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
Why in News?
- To commemorate 50 years since Project Tiger, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated an International Big Cat Alliance conference in Mysuru, Karnataka.
About Project Tiger
- The Project Tiger was launched by the Government of India in 1973.
- It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
- Objectives –
- To reduce factors that lead to the depletion of tiger habitats and to mitigate them by suitable management.
- To ensure a viable tiger population for economic, scientific, cultural, aesthetic and ecological values.
- Activities funded by Project Tiger include –
- Anti-poaching initiatives;
- Strengthening infrastructure within tiger reserves;
- Habitat improvement and water development;
- Addressing man-animal conflicts;
- Supporting States for staff development and capacity building in tiger reserves;
- Project Tiger has been successful in increasing the population of the tigers.
- National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) conducts Tiger Census across India, every four years.
- As per the last Tiger Census conducted in 2018-19, tiger population in India has increased to 2967.
- India now accounts for about 70% of the world’s tiger population.
Tiger Census Report for 2022
- Though the survey and data gathering, for the latest cycle, was completed in 2022 some analysis is pending.
- Due to this, the NTCA has only publicised the lowest bound of animals present based on the number of unique tigers photographed via camera traps.
- This year, 3080 unique tigers were photographed.
- This year, the modelling estimates, or the number of tigers that haven’t been captured on cameras, is reportedly incomplete and so the publicised figure – of 3,167 – is subject to revision.
What does it reveal about the Health of Tiger Reserves?
- Population increase was “substantial,” the report said, in Shivalik and the Gangetic flood plains.
- There were 804 unique tigers photographed in the Shivalik-Gangetic plains, which is higher than the estimated population of 646 in 2018.
- However, in the Western Ghats, the tiger population has reduced.
- The protected areas within the Western Ghats are some of the most biodiverse in the country.
- As of 2018, the tiger population here was estimated at 981.
- In 2022, 824 unique tigers were recorded, pointing to a decline in some regions.
- Although tiger populations in the Periyar landscape was stable, tiger occupancy outside has decreased.
- Local extinctions of tiger populations were noticed in Sirsi, Kanyakumari, and Srivilliputhur, the report noted.
What are the Causes of Local Decline?
- India’s tiger population annually grows at about 6% an annum with high mortality rates among cubs.
- Apart from natural mortality, the other causes are –
- Threats from invasive species,
- Man-animal conflict,
- Infrastructure development that impedes movement of the animal,
- Disease,
- Poaching and many reserves not having sufficient prey to sustain viable populations.
About National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
- National Tiger Conservation Authority is a statutory body, constituted under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- It was established in 2005 following the recommendation of the Tiger Task Force.
- Objectives –
- To provide statutory authority to Project Tiger so that compliance of its directives become legal.
- To Foster accountability of Centre-State in management of Tiger Reserves.
- To address livelihood interests of local people in areas surrounding Tiger Reserves.
- Functions –
- To approve the tiger conservation plan prepared by the state government.
- To ensure that the tiger reserves and areas linking one protected area/tiger reserve with another are not diverted for ecologically unsustainable uses.
- To facilitate and support the tiger reserve management in the state for biodiversity conservation.
- Chairman: Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
Q1) How many Tiger Reserves are there in India?
There are 53 tiger reserves in India, Guru Ghasidas National Park is the 53rd Tiger Reserve In India as of 2023.
Q2) Which state has the highest number of tigers in India?
The state with the highest number of tigers is Madhya Pradesh at about 526 as per the latest counting. It is also the state with the highest number of tiger reserves.
Source: Explained | Why is there concern about the tiger population in the Western Ghats?