Project Tiger – An Assessment https://fotisedu.com/project-tiger-an-assessment/

Tiger – Global Efforts to Conserve Big Cat https://fotisedu.com/tiger-global-efforts-to-conserve-big-cat/

In India, tigers inhabit, a wide variety of habitats ranging from the high mountains, mangroves swamps, tall grasslands, to dry and moist deciduous forests, as well as evergreen forest systems.

By virtue of this, tiger is not only a conservation icon but also it is as an umbrella species for majority of the ecosystem in the Indian sub-continent. As Umbrella species, tiger conservation leads to conservation of other species.

India is home to about 70 per cent of global tiger population. It is estimated that India had about 40 000 tigers in 1900, but the number declined to a mere about 1800 in 1972.

This necessitated on the part of Government to take necessary steps for tiger conservation in India.

Project Tiger

Project Tiger: The Government launched this centrally Sponsored Scheme in 1973 for in-situ conservation of wild tigers in designated tiger reserves. For more information on Project Tiger and Tiger Reserves visit https://fotisedu.com/project-tiger-an-assessment/

Wild life protection Act: Schedule I

Tiger was included in schedule I of Wild life protection Act.

Animals listed in schedule I of Wild life protection Act have absolute protection . Offences under these are prescribed the highest penalties.

Examples of animals listed in schedule 1 are : tiger , lion tailed macaque, rhinoceros, great indian bustard, narcondam hornbill, nicobar megapode, black buck, Indian lion , clouded leopard , etc.

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change .

It has been constituted under enabling provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2006, for strengthening tiger conservation, as per powers and functions assigned to it under the said Act.

Presently It implements major tiger conservation initiatives like project tiger, Tiger conservation plan etc.

Composition of NTCA

The authority consists of the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Environment and Forests ( as Chairperson), the Minister of State in the Ministry of Environment and Forests (as Vice-Chairperson), three members of Parliament, Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests and other members.

Objectives of NTCA

The objectives of NTCA are:

1 . Providing statutory authority to Project Tiger so that compliance of its directives become legal.

2 . Fostering accountability of Center-State in management of Tiger Reserves, by providing a basis for MoU with States within our federal structure.

3 . Providing for an oversight by Parliament.

4 . Addressing livelihood interests of local people in areas surrounding Tiger Reserves.

M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers – Intensive Protection and Ecological Status)

It is a platform where modern technology is used to assist effective patrolling, assess ecological status and mitigate human-wildlife conflict in and around tiger reserves.

The MSTrIPES program uses Global Positioning System (GPS), General Packet Radio Services (GPRS), and remote sensing, to collect information from the field, create a database using modern Information Technology (IT) based tools, analyses the information using GIS and statistical tools to provide inferences that allow tiger reserve managers to better manage their wildlife resources.

Tiger corridors in Country

A tiger corridor is a stretch of land linking tiger habitats, allowing movement of tigers, prey and other wildlife.

Its management interventions are operationalised through a Tiger Conservation Plan, mandated under section 38V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.https://ntca.gov.in/corridor-management/

For demarcating these corridors, country has been divided into 4 landscapes:

I . Shivalik Hills & Gangetic Plains– 3 corridors

1 . Rajaji-Corbett

2 . Corbett-Dudhwa

3 . Dudhwa-Kishanpur-Katerniaghat

II . Central India & Eastern Ghats- 11 corridors

1 . Ranthambhore-Kuno-Madhav

2 . Bandhavgarh-Achanakmar

3 . Bandhavgarh-Sanjay Dubri-Guru Ghasidas

4 . Guru Ghasidas-Palamau-Lawalong

5 . Kanha-Achanakmar

6 . Kanha-Pench

7 . Pench-Satpura-Melghat

8 . Kanha-Navegaon Nagzira-Tadoba-Indravati

9 . Indravati-Udanti Sitanadi-Sunabeda

10 . Similipal-Satkosia

11 . Nagarjunasagar-Sri Venkateshwara National Park

III . Western Ghats- 8 corridors

1 . Sahyadri-Radhanagari-Goa

2 . Dandeli Anshi-Shravathi Valley

3 . Kudremukh-Bhadra

4 . Nagarahole-Pusphagiri-Talakavery

5 . Nagarahole-Bandipur-Mudumalai-Wayanad

6 . Nagarahole-Mudumalai-Wayanad

7 . Parambikulam-Eranikulam-Indira Gandhi

8 . Kalakad Mundanthurai-Periyar

IV . North East- 10 corridors

1 . Kaziranga-Itanagar WLS

2 . Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong

3 . Kaziranga-Nameri

4 . Kaziranga-Orang

5 . Kaziranga-Papum Pane

6 . Manas-Buxa

7 . Pakke-Nameri-Sonai Rupai-Manas

8 . Dibru Saikhowa-D’Ering-Mehaong

9 . Kamlang-Kane-Tale Valley

10 . Buxa-Jaldapara