Project Tiger – India
Project Tiger – India
Year of Introduction Project Tiger in India : 1973
Protected Area under Project Tier in India : approximately 71,000 sq. km
Population of the Royal Bengal Tiger in India : around 3000 individuals
IUCN Status of the Royal Bengal Tiger : Threatened
Global Population of the Tiger : around 3900 individual.
Countries where the Tiger is found : India, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysian, Cambodia, Vietnam China & Russia
Scientific Name : Panthera tigris
About the Tiger
Adaptations of the Tiger
About Project Tiger
NTCA – National Tiger Conservation Authority
Each Tiger Reserve is divided into 02 areas
• Core Area
• Buffer Area
Core Area /Critical Tiger Habitat
This is the critical habitat of surviving Tigers and prey species which can support or already support Tiger populations in the landscape due to favourable ecological conditions having potential for improving existing habitat to ensure long-term success of the species.
No human activity save for conservation-related or Park-management related activities are permitted here. Everyday tasks of wood collection, grazing and utilisation of forest produce is banned.
Tourism is permitted, however according to NTCA guidelines, only upto 20% of the Core Area is available for Wildlife Tourism.
These areas usually have a legal status of National Park or Wildlife Sanctuary.
Buffer Area
Demarcated areas adjoining or surrounding the Core Area have been given the status of the Buffer Area. These are peripheral areas of the Core or newly created habitat for wildlife which inevitably spills over from the declared Core Area.
However, activities such as livestock grazing, controlled collection of firewood and minimal use of forest produce for the sake of livelihood by the locals are permitted.
Forest Check-Posts and Patrolling Camps have been strategically established across Tiger Reserves in the Core and Buffer Areas to mitigate poaching threats and ensure management of the reserve and swift action in case of emergency situations.
Village Relocation
One of the most difficult and herculean of all tasks has been the ongoing Village Relocation Programmes in Tiger Reserves, ongoing since 1973.
Voluntary relocation of people and settlements has been one of the major tasks and a massive challenge ineffective establishment and management of Tiger Reserves across India in addition to reducing poaching threats and preserving the habitat.
Many villages were/are situated in the identified Critical Tiger Habitats in India, as well as in the newly identified Critical Tiger Habitats for the future establishment of Tiger Reserves. The need to educate the local people of the benefits of relocating/moving away from their present homes in the Tiger Reserve. Compensatory land or money is provided as aid from the government along with logistical assistance.
56,247 families across 751 villages of the 50 Tiger Reserves have been earmarked for relocation, out of which 12,327 families from 173 villages have been successfully relocated out of these areas.
The challenge of Human Rights, Political pressure and vested interest groups has definitely ensured that this task be a Herculean effort – however, relatively good governance practices and diligence of the various Forest Departments has resulted in various positive breakthroughs for Project Tiger.
Tiger Task Force
In light of heavy poaching and formation of strong poaching networks by smugglers within India, a need for greater monitoring and an additional layer of protection was included in the year 2005.
Following the exposure by the media and ground-level conservationists on the sudden disappearance of Tigers in the notable plight of Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, The Prime Minister of India Mr.Manmohan Singh set up the Tiger Task Force to strengthen the conservation of the National Animal of India.
The guiding principles for all the Tiger Reserves in the country by the Tiger Task Force include : –
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