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Special Feature
By Aayushi Sharma
Panthera tigris or Tiger is considered as both flagship and umbrella species by IUCN. Tigers can be found in a staggering range of habitats, including mangrove swamps, grasslands, savannas, and rain forests. Sadly, 93% of former tiger habitats have vanished, largely as a result of rising human activity. 29th July is celebrated as International Tigers Day worldwide.
Status of tiger conservation in India
More than 70% of the critically endangered tiger population in the world is in India. Key protected areas in India were classified as tiger reserves in 2005, which improved protection and monitoring. This was done under the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which was founded at the same time. 53 tiger reserves across India were under improved administration by the end of 2022.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority’s latest tiger census figures show that India’s tiger population has grown by 200 over the past four years, and is expected to reach 3,167 in 2022. From 1,411 in 2006 to 1,706 in 2010, 2,226 in 2014, 2,967 in 2018, and 3,167 in 2022, the tiger population has steadily increased.
Conservation Initiative
The Project Tiger was started in 1973 with the intention of using the tiger’s functional purpose and appeal to attract funding and support from the general public for the preservation of representative habitats. The initiative has grown since it began, going from nine tiger reserves spanning 18,278 km2 to 53 reserves covering 75,796 km2, or 2.3% of India’s total land area. Despite this, many tiger populations are restricted to small protected areas, and the majority of tiger reserves and protected areas in India are tiny islands in a huge sea of ecologically unsustainable land usage.
Source: NTCA
Conditions of tiger habitat in India
Over the past few years, India’s tiger (Panthera tigris) population has experienced a precipitous drop. The most concerning of the several variables linked to this loss has been habitat fragmentation. Wildlife corridors are primarily thought to be able to lessen genetic isolation, counteract issues with fragmentation, promote animal dispersal, restore ecological processes, and lower human-animal conflict.
The primary factors influencing tiger mobility across the tiger landscape are assessed to include habitat suitability, perennial water sources, road density, railway tracks, human settlement density, and total forest edge.
Natural ecosystems in many developing nations including India face an unprecedented threat and pressure from the unregulated economic growth and increasing human population. The pristine natural ecosystem and animals are nevertheless under a great deal of stress from urbanization, industrialisation, infrastructure development projects, agriculture, grazing, deforestation, wildlife trade, and poaching. when people are more separated on “habitat islands” and ecosystems are lost.
Source: NTCA
How conservation of tigers helps in mitigation of climate change impacts?
There are some areas to focus on the climate co-benefits of biodiversity conservation interventions, such as habitat protection and restoration. Conserving tiger habitats by declaring those areas as reserves help in carbon sequestration.
CFC India had earlier covered in a story that, “The IPCC, in its special report of 2018, suggested that by 2030, a 9% increase in the total area of forests, woods, and wooded savannas could absorb one-fourth of the atmospheric carbon needed to comply with 1.5°C pathways. In actuality, this entails the addition of new forest covering an area of around 350 million hectares (Mha), or an area roughly the size of India.”
Dr Dipankar Lahkar, Senior manager at Tiger Research and Conservation Division (TRCD) of Aaranyak, told CFC that “By establishing Tiger Reserves, a landscape-based conservation strategy, offers options to protect a larger landscape by putting into place conservation strategies that could not only protect tigers, the entire biodiversity, and have a substantial influence on CO2 emission reductions. Aside from that, many of the major rivers that pass through Tiger Reserves provide water for billions of people and support their agricultural activities and help fight climate change.”
Way ahead
A multifaceted strategy is required to ensure the long-term survival of tigers in India. This strategy must include safeguarding and improving tiger habitats, maintaining population connectedness, reducing confrontations between people and tigers, and fending off threats including habitat degradation, poaching, and illegal trafficking. To address conflict difficulties, it’s critical to rehabilitate habitats, boost ungulate numbers, and prepare the reintroduction of tigers in low density areas. It is essential for a variety of stakeholders, including local communities, corporations, NGOs, and government agencies, to be involved. This can be done through focusing on “Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECM)” as well as fostering ecotourism and sustainable livelihoods for local residents. Other strategies that can be used to accomplish this goal include greater patrols, monitoring, and law enforcement.
References:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-023-02069-x
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0039996
https://www.worldwildlife.org/stories/where-do-tigers-live-and-other-tiger-facts
