EFFORTS FOR CONSERVATION OF TIGER POPULATION
EFFORTS FOR CONSERVATION OF TIGER POPULATION
Project Tiger
- ‘Project Tiger’ was launched for the conservation of tigers by the central government in 1973. In 1900, the population of tigers was 40,000 and by 1972, it declined to 1800.
- Tiger holds utmost importance in the ecosystem, because it is at the top of terrestrial food chain.
- Decline in the tiger population would lead to increase in the population of species which are prey to tigers, leading to an imbalance in the ecosystem.
- ‘Project Tiger’ banned poaching of tigers and required creation of tiger reserves. Tiger reserves are created with the objective of conserving the tiger population in their natural habitat.
- Tiger reserves consist of a core area which is free from any human interference and a buffer area, where minimal human interference is allowed.
- Tiger reserves are notified by the government on recommendation of National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). EFFORTS FOR CONSERVATION OF TIGER POPULATION
- Once notified, no alteration in the boundary of tiger reserves can be made except on the recommendation of NTCA and the approval of National Board for Wildlife (NBWL).
The NTCA
- The NTCA is a statutory body created under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 by an amendment passed in the year 2006.
- The NTCA has the objective to recommend measures for the conservation of tiger.
- By the Amendment Act of 2006, along with NTCA, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (tiger and other endangered species crime control bureau) was created.
Tiger Census
- Since the year 2006, tiger census has been conducted in India every four years.
- In 2010, tiger population was 1706 and in the year 2014, it was 2226.
- The tiger census of 2014 could not be conducted in Jharkhand and some parts of North-Eastern India.
Methodology Used in Tiger Census
- Earlier, tiger census was done with the help of pugmark method.
- In this method, the imprints of pugmark of a tiger were recorded and were used as an identification for the population of tigers. This is not a very scientific method.
- Recent methods used in tiger census are camera trappings and DNA fingerprinting.
- In camera trappings, the photograph of a tiger is taken and the tigers are differentiated on the basis of the number of stripes on their body.
- The most advanced technique is DNA fingerprinting. In this technique, tigers are identified on the basis of their scats (excreta). EFFORTS FOR CONSERVATION OF TIGER POPULATION
