International Tiger Day | India doubles its Panthera population before time

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July 29 is a significant day; it celebrates Tigers! Did you know that the largest living cat species, Panthera Tigris, has stripes as unique as human fingerprints? Due to this characteristic, they are identified in camera traps and counted in the tiger census. The highest predator in the food web, tigers are significant for balanced ecology.

International Tiger Day, observed on July 29 raises awareness about tigers. On the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded all those actively working to protect the tiger and added that innovative measures are being undertaken to involve local communities in tiger protection. The Day was founded in 2010 when the 13 tiger range countries came together to create Tx2 – the global goal to double the number of wild tigers by 2022.

To mark the Day, Union Environment Minister, Bhupender Yadav and Minister of State, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, attended the Global Tiger Day 2022 celebrations held today at Chandrapur Forest Academy, Maharashtra. They also visited Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) and interacted with the forest staff and tiger reserve management to understand the field-level protection issues.

Project Tiger & Other Initiatives
The Government of India in April 1973, launched ‘Project Tiger’, the largest species conservation initiative in the world. The Project, meant to promote conservation and protect tigers in India, has helped in restoring the population and strengthening conservation efforts for tigers.

India achieved a doubling of tiger population in 2018, 4 years ahead of the targeted year 2022. It is home to more than 70% of the tiger population globally. According to the 2018 tiger census, India has around 2,967 tigers and currently, there are 52 Tiger Reserves, covering over 75,000 sq. km, in the country. Ramgarh Vishdhari in Rajasthan is the latest to join the list. In 1973, there were only 9 tiger reserves in the country.

About Project Tiger
Launched from Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, the project is an ongoing scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). The centrally sponsored scheme is applicable in nine reserves of different States, namely Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.

Project Tiger has been converted into a statutory authority, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) by providing enabling provisions in the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 through an amendment, via Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006. The NTCA addresses ecological and administrative concerns for conserving tigers. It provides a statutory basis for the protection of tiger reserves and provides strengthened institutional mechanisms for the protection of ecologically sensitive areas and endangered species.

Tiger Conservation in India
The budgetary allocation for tiger conservation was increased from Rs 185 crore in 2014 to Rs 300 crore in 2022. Further, the CA|TS accreditation of 14 Tiger Reserves in India also signifies successful tiger conservation efforts. In the 19th Meeting of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) (January 2022), Union Environment Minister, Bhupender Yadav called for adopting active management for the conservation of tigers.

Among other things, to curb poaching of wildlife, the Government has been motivating and generating awareness among people in the northeast to voluntarily surrender their airguns. Tiger Conservation efforts in the Indian context require the combined efforts of the government and the community at its centre. Both require each other, and continuous efforts are being made for the involvement of local communities in protection and Eco-tourism activities.

Conservation Assured |Tiger Standards
CA|TS or Conservation Assured |Tiger Standards is a globally accepted conservation tool that sets best practices and standards to manage tigers and encourages assessments to benchmark progress. In July 2021, India’s 14 Tiger Reserves received CA|TS accreditation. This includes Manas, Kaziranga, and Orang in Assam, Satpura, Kanha, and Panna in Madhya Pradesh, Pench in Maharashtra, Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar, Dudhwa in Uttar Pradesh, Sunderbans in West Bengal, Parambikulam in Kerala, Bandipur Tiger Reserve of Karnataka, and Mudumalai and Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu.