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On July 28, 2020, Ministry of Environment and Ecology and Forest and Climate Change released a comprehensive report on 4th All Tiger Census in India Estimation. Saroj Raj Choudhury, a wildlife inspector from Odisha, revised tiger count after the initial census based on pug-mark count. This pug-mark approach for tiger census has since been promoted as well as followed by various forest officers.
About Tiger Census
Abundance and density, or the number of tigers per unit area and spatial distribution in any environment and ecology, are primary metrics used to gauge the health of India’s tiger population. A national assessment of the “Tiger Census” has been undertaken every four years since then by Wildlife Institute of India (WII) in partnership with State Forest Bureau conservation NGOs and managed by NTCA. This Tiger Census is conducted by global carnivore specialists, and the International Union for Nature Conservation (IUCN) examined this 2006 status assessment. After completing a pilot study of around 20,000 kilometres of ‘Satpura-Maikal’ terrain of Central India, the technique utilised for these two assessments was standardised.
Information on Tiger landscapes in India
In order to keep this Tiger Census in check, it was necessary to divide India into five distinct regions: Central India, Eastern Ghats, and North Eastern Hills of Brahmaputra Wetlands, Sunderbans, and Western Ghats, as well as Shivalik Gangetic Plains, the most crucial. Tiger populations in each of these five Tiger Landscapes of environment and ecology were evaluated separately in order to provide the most precise estimates of the tiger population in India.
Statistics of Tiger in India
Indian tigers are thought to number 1,411 according to a 2006 nationwide assessment. The official tiger population estimate in India was 3,500 tigers before this scientifically based evaluation of environment and ecology. For the first time, a national-scale estimate of tiger population size and habitat connectivity could be made using spatially explicit data from the 2006 survey. The Tiger Census in India was projected to have grown to 1,706 in second assessments in 2010 and 2,226 in third assessments in 2014. Sundarban tigers were included in 2010 and 2014 evaluations, totalling 70 and 76, respectively. Assessments in environment and ecology were conducted between 2018 and 2019 with most advanced scientific, technological, and analytical instruments accessible to date. Nowadays, a mobile phone application, MSTrIPES (Tracking system of a tiger – intensive conservation and ecological status), was used to record critical field data digitally, making this activity more accurate.
Need for Tiger Conservation
An ecosystem’s health and diversity depends on the presence of tigers. As top predators, tigers are frequently referred to as “umbrella species,” meaning protecting them also protects many other life forms in the same region. The Tiger Census estimating exercise results, including habitat and prey assessments, reveal whether or not conservation efforts have been successful. Upwards of 80% of world’s wild tigers live in India, making it critical to monitor their numbers. Therefore, the existence of tigers mostly in forests gives a good indication of ecosystem health. Due to insufficient protection for its environment and ecology, this apex predator would have gone extinct long before that. The overall structure would fall apart if tigers went extinct.
Facts of Tiger Census Report in 2018
It is estimated that there are 2,967 Royal Bengal Tigers in India. According to the 2018 Tiger Census report, there were eight states where tiger population has increased by more than 100%. A total of four provinces (Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Uttar Pradesh) have more than 150 tigers, while four states (Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra) have more than 300. According to the Tiger Census conducted by NTCA, ‘Tiger State of India’ is Madhya Pradesh. Indian tiger reserves of Periyar and Pench National Parks in Kerala and Madhya Pradesh are the best in this country. There were no tigers found in Mizoram. Tiger reserves of Dampa, Buxa and Palamau are presently devoid of any tigers.
Measures Taken for Tiger Conservation
Protecting and conserving wildlife has been a top priority for the Indian government, represented by the National Tiger Census Authority. Development and mainstreaming of a scientific approach for estimating tigers and co-predators in environment and ecology have occurred. This assessment and evaluation will serve as a guide for future efforts to conserve tigers. The Bengal Tigers of Sundarban were protected by a convention signed in September 2011 between India and Bangladesh.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi urged even more concerted measures to protect the country’s tigers. The Tiger Census of India declined in Chhattisgarh and Mizoram, but it stayed stable in Odisha. A positive trend was observed in all other states. Each of the five landscapes exhibited an increase when viewed at a landscape level, only with the Central Indian scene showing the most significant rise. With developments in science, India has been employing two-fold sampling to estimate the number of tigers there, which has been improved with time. Environment and Ecology Assessment of Tiger Reserves paper, published jointly by NTCA and Indian Institute for Forest Management Bhopal, emphasised potential for tiger reserves to serve as growth engines.
