Accomplishment about all India Tiger Estimation 2018

The conservation of the tiger in the present period is a difficult task. The survival of our wooded ecosystems, the biodiversity they represent, as well as the water and climatic security they give, are all dependent on the conservation of this top carnivore. Monitoring the state of tigers, as well as the accompanying biodiversity of the encompassing ecosystem, is critical for determining whether we have met our commitment to protect our natural heritage.

The Government of India began ‘Project Tiger’ in 1973 to safeguard tigers in India. Initially, Project Tiger only covered eight Tiger reserves, but it has since grown to 47. In India, a tiger assessment is carried out every four years. The National Tiger Conservation Authority conducts a tiger census in all of India’s tiger reserves (NTCA).

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) conducts a census to determine the number of tigers in 50 tiger reserves dispersed across the country’s 18 tiger-reigning states. This article covers all of the necessary details on the “All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018.”

Threats faced by the population of tigers: 

Today, habitat degradation and fragmentation, as well as poaching, are the most serious threats to tiger populations.

• Land modification for agricultural reasons, logging, and land conversion for grazing domestic animals all result in habitat loss and fragmentation. The number of feasible tiger habitats has decreased due to the fast-rising human population.
• Because of the increased struggle for food and mates, fragmentation may lead to more hostile interactions between tigers, in addition to lower genetic variation.
• The illegal killing of an animal is known as poaching. Tigers are poached for two main reasons: their threat to animals and/or people, and for monetary gain. Tigers were once hunted for their furs.

All India Tiger Estimation 2018: 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, on the occasion of International Tiger Day, released the results of the fourth cycle of the ‘All India Tiger Estimation – 2018’, at Lok Kalyan Marg in New Delhi. According to this census, the number of tigers in India increased to 2967 in 2018. Let’s take a look at how it was conducted:

• Phase I: The M-STrIPES mobile application was used to train frontline employees from State Forest Departments in 20 potential tiger-bearing states to collect Phase I data in a digital format. A field guide was published and distributed to each beat guard in nine regional languages. 

The aforementioned methodology was adjusted for the Sundarbans to allow sampling from a boat along river channels. Phase I sampling on the aforementioned aspects took a maximum of 10 days per forest beat, with two people sampling.

• Phase II: Forest acreage, vegetation cover, forest patch size, forest core regions, elevation, distance from protected areas, and drainage density were used as surrogates for habitat features. The human footprint, the distance to night lights, the intensity of the night lights, the distance to highways, and the density of the road network were used to predict human impacts.
• Phase III: The cameras were set in the greatest feasible area to increase photo captures of tigers and leopards found during sign surveys. Each grid was assigned a unique code and placed into the 100 km2 countrywide grid that has been in place since the first National Tiger Status Estimation cycle in 2006, allowing subsequent conclusions to be compared on the same spatial scale and extent.

Key findings of the survey: 

• As of 2018, India’s tiger population totaled 2967, accounting for 70% of the global tiger population.
• In 2006, the country had 1411 tigers, and with 2967 tigers by 2019, India has achieved its goal of doubling tiger populations ahead of the target year which was 2022.
• The states with the highest tiger population were as follows: Madhya Pradesh (526), Karnataka (524), Uttrakhand (442), and 312 in Maharashtra
• When the data from all four cycles are compared, there is a consistent increase in the number of these striped wildcats following each census.
• Evaluation of tiger reserves: 

• The best-managed tiger reserves in the country were found to be Kerala’s Periyar Sanctuary and Madhya Pradesh’s Pench Sanctuary. 
• Since 2014, the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu has seen “maximum progress” in terms of population and resources. 
• According to the most recent Tiger Estimation Study, the Dampa tiger reserve in Mizoram and the Rajaji tiger reserve in Uttarakhand are at the bottom of the list. 
• No tigers have been discovered in the reserves of Palamau (Jharkhand), Buxa (West Bengal), and Dampa (Mizoram).

Achievements

The Prime Minister spoke at the event, describing it as a “historic achievement” for India and reaffirming India’s commitment to tiger conservation. According to the Prime Minister, India now has one of the largest and most secure tiger populations in the world, with almost 3000 tigers.  India’s tiger estimation for 2018 has gone down in history as the largest camera-trap wildlife survey, according to the Guinness World Records.

Conclusion

Not only tiger conservation efforts have accelerated in the previous five years, but the country’s forest cover has also expanded. There has also been a rise in the number of protected areas. When it comes to poaching and other comparable situations, strict action must be done.