National Tiger Conservation Authority

About National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA):

• It is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) constituted for strengthening tiger conservation.
• NCTA was created in 2005 following the recommendation of the tiger task force and was given the status of statutory authority under Section 38L of the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006.
• Objectives:
  • Providing statutory authority to Project Tiger so that compliance of its directives becomes legal.
  • Fostering accountability of the Center-State in the management of Tiger Reserves by providing a basis for MoUs with States within the federal structure.
  • Providing for an oversight by Parliament.
  • Addressing livelihood interests of local people in areas surrounding Tiger Reserves.
• NTCA Composition:
  • Minister in charge of MoEFCC (as Chairperson),
  • Minister of State in MoEFCC (as Vice-Chairperson),
  • three members of Parliament, the Secretary (MoEFCC), and other members.
• Powers and Functions:
  • Approving the tiger conservation plan prepared by the State Government.
  • Maintaining sustainable ecology and disallow any such use of landwithin the tiger reserves which is detrimental to the ecology.
  • Making rules and guidelines for tourism activity for Project Tiger in the tiger reserves and also ensure their due compliances.
  • Measures for addressing conflicts between men and animals and emphasize on co-existence between the two outside the national parks, tiger reserves, or sanctuaries. 
  • Providing information to the public on the conservation plans, estimation of population of tigers, the status of natural habitat, and reporting on any untoward incident. TCA releases the status of tigers in India.
  • Approving coordinates research and monitoring of tigers.
  • Facilitating and supporting tiger reserve management in the State.
  • Ensuring critical support in scientific, IT, and legal support for better conservation of tigers.
  • Facilitating capacity-building programmes for the officers and staff. 

What is Project Tiger?

• It is a tiger conservation programme launched in 1973 as a centrally sponsored scheme by the Government of India.
• It was the first of its kind of Project in India to maintain the population of Tigers in India and to protect them from poaching and other threats.
• It is administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
• It aims at:
  • Ensuring a viable population of the Bengal tiger (‘endangered’) in its natural habitats,
  • Protecting it from extinction,
  • Preserving areas of biological importance as a natural heritage that represent the diversity of ecosystems across the tiger's range in the country
• For tiger conservation, Tiger Reserves were set up in 1973 and are governed by Project Tiger.

Initially, the Project covered nine tiger reserves spread over 18,278 sq. km.

Now, the project includes 54 tiger reserves sprawling over around 75,000 sq. km.

Q1: What is a Tiger Reserve?

Tiger Reserve is a legally declared protected area dedicated to the conservation of striped big cats. A tiger reserve, on the other hand, could be a national park or wildlife sanctuary. The Sariska Tiger Reserve, for example, is also a national park.

Source: Conservationists demand NTCA to withdraw relocation of forest-dwelling communities from tiger reserves