The tiger population has increased as per the All India Tiger Estimation done in 2022, with an estimated number of 3682 (range 3167-3925) as compared to the 2018 estimation of 2967 (range 2603-3346) and 2014 estimation of 2226 (range 1945-2491).  The tiger population is increasing at a rate of 6% per annum in India when consistently sampled areas are compared.  The details of tiger estimation pertaining to tiger landscapes in the country, for the years 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 is at Annexure-I.

The Government of India, through the National Tiger Conservation Authority, has advocated a three pronged strategy to manage human-wildlife negative interactions as follows:-

(i)         Material and logistical support: Funding support through the ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger, is provided to tiger reserves for acquiring capacity in terms of infrastructure and material, to deal with tigers dispersing out of source areas. These are solicited by tiger reserves through an Annual Plan of Operation (APO) every year which stems out from an overarching Tiger Conservation Plan (TCP), mandated under Section 38 V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. Inter alia, activities such as payment of ex-gratia and compensation, periodic awareness campaigns to sensitize, guide and advise the general populace on man-animal conflict, dissemination of information through various forms of media, procurement of immobilization equipment, drugs, training and capacity building of forest staff to deal with conflict events are generally solicited.

(ii)        Restricting habitat interventions: Based on the carrying capacity of tigers in a tiger reserve, habitat interventions are restricted through an overarching TCP. In case tiger numbers are at carrying capacity levels, it is advised that habitat interventions should be limited so that there is no excessive spill over of wildlife including tigers thereby minimizing man-animal conflict. Further, in buffer areas around tiger reserves, habitat interventions are restricted such that they are sub-optimal vis-à-vis the core/critical tiger habitat areas, judicious enough to facilitate dispersal to other rich habitat areas only.

(iii)       Standard Operating Procedure (SOPs): The National Tiger Conservation Authority has issued following three SOPs to deal with human-animal conflict, which are available in public domain:

i. To deal with emergency arising due to straying of tigers in human dominated landscapes

ii. To deal with tiger depredation on livestock

iii. For active management towards rehabilitation of tigers from source areas at the landscape level.

The three SOPs inter alia include the issue of managing dispersing tigers, managing livestock kills so as to reduce conflict as well as relocating tigers from source areas to areas where density of tiger is low, so that conflict in rich source areas does not occur.

Also as per Tiger Conservation Plans need based and site-specific management interventions are undertaken by the tiger reserves for improving the quality of wildlife habitat and funding support for these activities is provided under the Project Tiger Component of the ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats.

As reported by States, the details of tigers lost due to confirmed unnatural causes (poaching, seizures and unnatural not poaching) during last three years and current year are at Annexure-II.

Annexure-I

Details of tiger estimation pertaining to tiger landscapes in the country, for the years 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022 (As per All India Tiger Estimation Reports)

 

Annexure-II

Details of tiger lost due to confirmed unnatural causes (poaching, seizures and unnatural not poaching) during last three years and current, State-wise

 

P – Poaching

S – Seizure

UNP – Unnatural not poaching

This information was given by Union Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

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VM/GS

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