Context: Every year on July 29, people all across the world celebrate International Tiger Day. The purpose of the day is to increase public awareness of the value of tiger conservation among citizens, organizations, and governments.

• India’s tiger population has witnessed significant growth over the past decade, owing to successful conservation efforts under the Project Tiger initiative.

About the International Tiger Day

• It was first instituted in 2010 at the Tiger Summit in St Petersburg, Russia when the 13 tiger range countries came together to create Tx2, the global goal to double the number of wild tigers by the year 2022.

• However, the designated date for achieving the goals of Tx2 saw uneven progress.

Performance of India towards Tiger Conservation

• As per the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), while countries in Southeast Asia struggled to control population decline, India fared much better.

• According to the Wildlife Institute of India's (WII) 5th tiger census (quadrennial), India’s tiger population increased to 3,682 in 2022 (revised from 3,167 recently), up from 1,411 in 2006, 1,706 in 2010, 2,226 in 2014 and 2,967 in 2018.

• In 2022, the maximum number of tigers (785) were reported to be in MP, followed by Karnataka (563), Uttarakhand (560), and Maharashtra (444).

• Nearly a quarter of the tigers were reportedly outside protected areas.

• This is made possible because of political commitment, which led to governments, communities, conservation organisations, etc., working together.

• The successes in India can be attributed largely to the success of Project Tiger, which celebrated its 50th anniversary earlier this year (2023).

Challenges and Concerns

• Habitat Fragmentation: The growing human population and developmental activities have led to the fragmentation of tiger habitats, affecting their dispersal and increasing human-tiger conflicts.

• Quality of Forest Cover: The degradation of forest cover can impact prey availability and contribute to human-wildlife conflict, especially in regions like Central India and the Eastern Ghats.

• Human-Wildlife Conflict: As tiger habitats shrink and corridors get disrupted, encounters between tigers and humans have increased, leading to conflicts and potential danger to both tigers and people.

• Legal Framework Dilution: Some proposed amendments to environmental acts and the approval of projects in protected areas have raised concerns about the dilution of the legal framework supporting tiger conservation.

What is Project Tiger?

• Project Tiger was launched by the Central government on April 1, 1973, at the Jim Corbett National Park (Uttarakhand) to promote conservation of the tiger.

• According to reports, while there were 40,000 tigers in the country at the time of the Independence, they were soon reduced to below 2,000 by 1970 due to widespread hunting and habitat destruction.

• In 1970, the IUCN declared the tiger as an endangered species.

• The programme was initially started in 9 tiger reserves of different States such as Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, MP, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, UP and West Bengal, covering over 14,000 sq km.

• Notably, Project Tiger didn’t just focus on the conservation of the big cats. It also ensured the preservation of their natural habitat as tigers are at the top of the food chain.

Fifty years of Project Tiger

• Today, there are 54 tiger reserves across India, spanning 75,000 sq km.

• Nearly 75% of the global tiger population (in the wild) can today be found in India.

• The goal of Project Tiger is to have a viable and sustainable tiger population in tiger habitats based on a scientifically calculated carrying capacity.

• This means the tiger population of the country cannot be increased at the same pace because that will result in an increase in conflict with human beings.

Key Facts about Bengal Tiger

• Bengal tiger (subspecies Panthera tigris tigris) inhibits the forests, and wetlands of India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal.

Features

• It is distinguished from other tiger subspecies by its orange coat accented by prominent brownish-to-black stripes; a rare white-coated variant of the subspecies also exists. 

• The largest male Bengal tigers can grow up to about 3.2 metres long (including a 1 metre long tail) and weigh nearly 295 kg. 

• Females are smaller, the largest ones measuring about 2.7 metres long and weighing as much as 181 kg. 

• They are solitary hunters, preying primarily on ungulates (including deer and antelope), gaurs, and wild boars (Sus scrofa). 

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Endangered

• Wildlife (Protection) Act (WPA), 1972: Schedule-1

Conservation Efforts and Successes

• Tiger Reserves: India’s tigers are mainly concentrated in 53 dedicated tiger reserves covering about 75,796 square km, which accounts for approximately 2.3% of the country’s total land area.

• Successful Reserves: Reserves like Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand (260 tigers), Bandipur (150), and Nagarhole (141) in Karnataka have shown commendable success in tiger conservation.

• Project Tiger: Launched in 1973, Project Tiger played a crucial role in conserving the species, ensuring not just the protection of tigers but also preserving their natural habitats.

Road Ahead

• Development with Ecological Sensibility: Upcoming infrastructure projects, like highways, are being planned with safe passageways for tigers and other animals to ensure minimal disruption to their movement.

• Relocation and Rehabilitation: Relocation of human settlements from core areas of tiger reserves is incentivized to increase protected land and improve tribal livelihoods.

• Conservation Commitment: The success of tiger conservation in India has come through the commitment of people, political will, and strong legal and policy frameworks.

• Sustained Efforts: Despite the successes, continued efforts and vigilance are essential to ensure the continued growth of the tiger population and its harmonious coexistence with human communities.