Govt’s Plan to Revive Struggling Tiger Reserves
Context
- The Centre has unveiled a strategy to revive underperforming tiger reserves, marking 18 years of tiger reintroduction in Sariska Tiger Reserve.
- The plan incorporates lessons from the mixed outcomes at Sariska and the unsuccessful reintroduction effort in Satkosia Tiger Reserve (Odisha).
- Out of India’s 58 tiger reserves, several have either low tiger densities or no tigers, necessitating science-based restoration and identification of suitable recipient sites.
- Meanwhile, Nameri Tiger Reserve (Assam) has emerged as a success story, with its tiger population increasing fourfold within three years.
Facts
- India is home to approximately 3,682 tigers (2022 estimate) spread across 58 tiger reserves, covering nearly 85,000 sq. km.
- Around 36 tiger reserves have tiger populations below 20% of their estimated carrying capacity.
- Kawal (Telangana), Kamlang (Arunachal Pradesh) and Dampa (Mizoram) currently have no resident tigers.
- Sariska Tiger Reserve (Rajasthan):
- Tiger reintroduction began in 2008.
- Conservation outcomes remain mixed due to poaching, livestock pressure, roads and canal networks.
- Satkosia Tiger Reserve (Odisha):
- India’s second tiger reintroduction programme was unsuccessful after a relocated male became a man-eater, while the female tiger faced local opposition.
- The experience highlighted the importance of proper site selection and community acceptance.
- The new strategy focuses on selecting suitable recipient sites with:
- Adequate prey availability,
- Low human disturbance,
- Good habitat connectivity, and
- Active community participation.
- Nameri Tiger Reserve (Assam):
- Recorded a fourfold increase in tiger numbers over the last three years (Status of Tigers Report, 2024).
- Shares ecological connectivity with Pakke Tiger Reserve (Arunachal Pradesh) and the Kaziranga–Karbi Anglong landscape, strengthening long-term tiger conservation.
Way Forward
- Select scientifically suitable recipient habitats before translocation.
- Ensure adequate prey base, habitat connectivity and minimal human-wildlife conflict.
- Strengthen anti-poaching measures and habitat management.
- Promote community participation for sustainable conservation.
- Recognise that tiger translocation alone cannot succeed without habitat readiness and local support.
Concepts
- Project Tiger (1973): India’s flagship tiger conservation programme, launched from Jim Corbett National Park.
- National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA):
- Statutory body established under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (2006 amendment).
- Oversees tiger reserve management and conducts the All India Tiger Estimation every four years using camera traps.
- Tiger Reserve: Protected area comprising an inviolate Core/Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH) and a surrounding Buffer Zone under the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
- Tiger Reintroduction/Translocation: Relocation of tigers to habitats where populations have become extinct or severely depleted; requires suitable prey density and low anthropogenic pressure.
- Keystone/Umbrella Species: Tigers regulate ecosystem balance, and conserving them safeguards entire forest ecosystems.
- Nameri–Pakke–Kaziranga Landscape: A vital transboundary tiger conservation landscape in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh; Kaziranga is globally renowned for the one-horned rhinoceros.