National Tiger Conservation Authority of India

India is a country where more than 60% of its landmass falls under would-be forest cover and offers some of the most biodiverse wildlife habitats in the world. But sadly, this diversity is under threat from poaching and habitat destruction. While India’s government has always been committed to protecting wildlife and combating criminal activity, it’s now taking things a step further with the new National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which was inaugurated in June 2005.

The following article discusses all about the National tiger conservation authority of India, including its role in introducing a number of tiger reserves in India.

About National Tiger Conservation Authority of India

India is amongst one of the last remaining countries which have a huge population of tigers, and this population, however, is getting reduced in the periodic times due to poaching and habitat loss. 

In order to curb such activities, the prime minister of India launched National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in December 2005, which will go a long way in ensuring that conservation efforts are carried out with a lot more efficiency. The NTCA is a non-profit organization. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was established in 2005 as a part of Project Tiger. It is under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, India’s Union government department, that looks after matters related to the safety of the animals and wildlife. The NTCA was founded in 2005 as a part of Project Tiger. Since then, it has monitored the tiger population and protected them from poaching, human-tiger conflict, and other threats.

What is the Role of the National Tiger Conservation Authority?

The authority is headed by the environment secretary and will have ten members from various fields of importance with it. The Authority plays an important role in conservation efforts, as well as in tackling issues that hinder conservation, such as poaching and encroachment.

National Tiger Conservation Authority works toward tiger conservation by identifying core areas for improving the habitat of tigers, working on new methods for conservation like innovative technologies and early warning systems to prevent poaching and encroachment into wildlife habitats, as well as raising public awareness of wildlife issues.

The major roles of the National Tiger Conservation Authority of India are as follows:

• Protecting the tiger population and their habitat. 
• Monitoring the tiger population and preventing them from poaching, human-tiger conflict, hunting, and other threats. 
• They also work to ensure the conservation of other wild animals in India.
• They also work to ensure the conservation of other wild animals in India.

Laws to Protect Tigers and their Habitat

• The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
• The Indian Forests Act, 1927
• The Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2006
• The Environmental (Protection) Amendment Act of 1986.
• The Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980
• The Wild Life (Protection) Ordinance, 1980

Tiger Reserves in India

• Project Tiger has designated approximately one hundred park or reserve areas where poachers are strictly forbidden. 
• The National Tiger Conservation Authority of India (NTCA) oversees most of the tiger reserves in India. 
• As of 2010, there were 23 national parks and 101 sanctuaries in India that had established breeding populations of tigers, besides several other tiger reserves.

List of Some of the Famous Tiger Reserves in India

• Nagarjunsagar Srisailam of Andhra Pradesh
• Pakke, Namdapha, and Kamlang Tiger Reserve of Arunachal Pradesh
• Kaziranga, Nameri, Manas, and Orang Tiger Reserve of Assam
• Indravati, Udanti-Sitanadi, and Achanakmar of Chhattisgarh
• Valmiki of Bihar
• Biligiri, Nagarahole, and Bandipur of Karnataka
• Parambikulam and Periyar of Kerala.
• Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Pench, Panna, and Satpura of Madhya Pradesh
• Tadoba-Andhari, Nawegaon-Nagzira, Melghat, Bor, and Sahyadri of Maharashtra.
• Dampa of Mizoram
• Satkosia and Similipal of Odisha.
• Sariska, Ranthambore, and Mukandra Hills of Rajasthan 
• Analamalai, Mudumalai, and Kalakad-Mundanthurai of Tamil Nadu
• Kawal of Telangana
• Dudhwa and Pilibhit of Uttar Pradesh
• Corbett of Uttarakhand
• Sunderbans and Buxa of West Bengal

Project Tiger

Project tiger, which was initiated in 1972 by the Indian parliament, passed Project Tiger Act, 1992 to protect all wild cats by declaring the tiger as an endangered species. As per the findings of research done by Ashoka Trust for Ecology and Environment (ATREE) and Wildlife Conservation Society- India Programmes (WCS-IP), there are only 7500 tigers in India.

The task force was created a decade ago after the government revised the Project Tiger plan in 2006. The task force was created to develop a tiger census and a precise habitat mapping of India’s tiger reserves.

The Tigers Task Force has also implemented an anti-poaching drive along the Indian-Nepal border in collaboration with the Nepal government, bringing down the number of poaching incidents to zero in recent years.

The NTCA is also working to ensure that officials of various departments work together in coordination and without any interference, as this causes a decline inefficient implementation of the conservation policies. The authority is also working on improving the conditions of tiger reserves by providing better facilities to tourists and increasing their awareness of wildlife conservation.

Conclusion

The article concludes with important points about the National Tiger Conservation Authority of India. NTCA was created to reduce the speed of decline of tiger populations in India. The authority works on increasing efforts to combat poaching and encroachment and create awareness among the public. The National Tiger Conservation Authority has introduced many tiger reserves in India. It is a national level body and draws up an action plan for conservation plans on tiger conservation. The authority also works on providing better facilities for tourists visiting tiger reserves and increasing public awareness about wildlife issues.