- While we were growing up, the lucid tales of the magnificent beast Tiger used to evoke a mixture of emotions. Right from feeling awe about the majestic animal to going through the excitement of hearing hair-raising legends to the frighteningly intimidating presence of the pristine creature in our collective psyche was an indescribable experience that cannot be simply narrated. Yes, the tiger not only enjoyed the attention of humankind fascinated with the elusive animal’s impressive presence but also realized the criticality of sustaining them to ensure the ecological balance is sustained. Of course, we all heard about the tales of how the erstwhile kings used to hunt these fabulous creatures just for fun. Sadly, hunting games continued even in the 20th century.
PC: TNN
- And then came a time when the tigers were almost staring at extinction from the planet Earth courtesy of unabated hunting citing various reasons, including for medicinal values that the animal supposedly possesses. The global community soon realized the folly of obliterating an extremely precious species from the face of the Earth by initiating measures to sustain the tiger population. India was at the forefront in ensuring the tiger population picks up through concerted efforts from all concerned. Thankfully, on Global Tiger Day, July 29, an update on India’s tiger census provided a measure of the country’s phenomenal contribution to the resurgence of the wild tiger population. This is not only a heartening bit of news but also augurs well for the ecology.
- As reported, the current estimate is that the upper limit is 3,925 tigers, while the average number is 3,682. It means three of four wild tigers in the world are to be found in India. Primary credit for the resurgence of wild tigers should rightfully go to Project Tiger, which counted biodiversity preservation among its aims. Beginning with nine tiger reserves, we now have 53, covering 75,796 sq km. But that’s a mere 2.3% of India’s land area. Two aspects of the Union Government’s statement on the tiger census stand out. Despite the overall increase in tiger population, there were localized declines in the Western Ghats, Jharkhand, and parts of the Northeast. Also, about 35% of the tiger reserves urgently need enhanced protection measures.
PC: Tiger Estimation Report
- Despite Project Tiger’s successes, significant vulnerabilities remain. According to the 2018 Tiger Census, only 65% of the tiger population is found in reserves. Furthermore, the State of the Forest Report 2021 stated that continuous, undisturbed, and non-fragmented landscapes are critical for Tiger survival. These are critical considerations for the Rajya Sabha as it debates amendments to the Forest (Conservation) Bill, which was passed by the Lok Sabha on July 26. The amendments are broad in scope, to tailor the law to achieve the national goal of net zero emissions by 2070. This is bound to have a knock-on effect on forest preservation. The preservation of pristine forests is consistent with national interests, including the preservation of tigers.
