Project Tiger is a wildlife conservation movement initiated in India in 1972 to protect the Bengal Tigers. The project aims at tiger conservation in specially constituted tiger reserves representative of various biogeographical regions throughout India. It strives to maintain a viable population of this conservation reliant species in their natural environment.
In 2008, there were more than 40 Project Tiger Tiger Reserves of India covering an area over 37,761 km². Project Tiger helped increase the population of these tigers from 1,200 in the 1970s to 3,500 in 1990s. However, a 2008 census held by Government of India revealed that the tiger population had dropped to 1,411. Since then the government has pledged US$153 million to further fund the project, set-up a Tiger Protection Force to combat poachers, and fund the relocation of up to 200,000 villagers to minimize human-tiger interaction.
History
At the turn of the 19th century, one estimate of the tiger population in India placed the figure at 45,000. The first ever all-India tiger census was conducted in 1972 which revealed the existence of only 1827 tigers. The landmark report, Status of the Tigers, Co-predators, and Prey in India, published by the National Tiger Conservation Authority estimates only 1411 adult tigers in existence in India (plus uncensused tigers in the Sundarbans). The project was launched in 1973 in Corbett national park, and various tiger reserves were created in the country based on a 'core-buffer' strategy. Management plans were drawn up for each tiger reserve based on the principles outlined below: TS* Elimination of all forms of human exploitation and biotic disturbance from the core area and rationalization of activities in the buffer zone.
- Restricting the habitat management only to repair the damages done to the eco-system by human and other interferences so as to facilitate recovery of the eco-system to its natural state.
- Monitoring the faunal and floral changes over time and carrying out research about wildlife.
Global organizations, such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), contributed much funding to Project Tiger. Eventually, however, it was discovered that the project's field directors had been manipulating tiger census numbers in order to encourage more donations. In fact, the numbers were so exaggerated as to be biologically impossible in some cases. In addition, Project Tiger's efforts were damaged by poaching, as well as the Sariska debacle and the latest Namdapha tragedy , both of which were reported extensively in the Indian media.
In the wake of these incidents, tiger activists and environmentalists like Valmik Thapar and Belinda Wright have demanded that the Prime Minister establish an independent census to determine the actual number of the tigers in India. ( Initially, 9 tiger reserves were established in different States during the period 1973-74, by pooling the resources available with the Central and State Governments. These nine reserves covered an area of about 13,017 km² -- viz Manas (Assam), Palamau (Bihar), Similipal (Orissa), Corbett (U.P.), Kanha (M.P.), Melghat (Maharashtra), Bandipur (Karnataka), Ranthambhore (Rajasthan) and Sunderbans (West Bengal). The World Wildlife Fund For Nature has given Project Tiger assistance in the form of equipment, expertise and literature worth US $ 1 million. There are 28 tiger reserves in India. Project Tiger was a pet project of Smt.Indira Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India. The main achievements of this project are excellent recovery of the habitat and consequent increase in the tiger population in the reserve areas, from a mere 268 in 9 reserves in 1972 to above one thousand in 28 reserves in 2006. Tigers, being at the apex of the food chain, can be considered as the indicator of the integrity of the ecosystem. Thus, 'Project Tiger' is basically the conservation of the entire ecosystem and apart from tigers, all other wild animals' population have also increased in the project areas.
In the meantime, the struggle to save the Indian tiger remains difficult as poachers kill the endangered animal to meet an international demand for tiger parts. Wright, for example, has cited a strong demand for tiger skins in China and Tibet as serious problem in tiger preservation. According to the latest census figures as of 2007, the tiger population in India has further dropped; particularly in the state of Madhya Pradesh, where 65 percent of the tigers have vanished, and the states of Chattisgarh, Maharashtra and Rajasthan, where there are less than 100 tigers each. The primary reason attributed to this increasing drop in numbers is poaching. However, the method used to count the number of tigers earlier was by identifying pugmarks, which could have resulted in figures larger than actual. The latest method which includes analysing habitat, prey base densities and camera trappings, is more precise and scientific.
Present organization and aims
The Project Tiger was meant to identify the limiting factors and to mitigate them by suitable management. The damages done to the habitat were to be rectified so as to facilitate the recovery of the ecosystem to the maximum possible extent. The overall administration of the project is monitored by a Steering Committee.A 'Field Director' is appointed for each reserve, who is assisted by the field and technical personnel. At the Centre, a full-fledged 'Director' of the project coordinates the work for the country.
Wireless communication system' and 'outstation patrol camps' have been developed within the tiger reserves, due to which poaching has declined considerably. Fire protection engineering|Fire protection is effectively done by suitable preventive and control measures. Voluntary Village relocation has been done in many reserves, especially from the core area.. Livestock grazing has been controlled to a great extent in the tiger reserves. Various compensatory developmental works have improved the 'water regime' and the ground and field level vegetation, thereby increasing the 'animal density'
Future plans
Wildlife protection and crime risk management in the present scenario requires a widely distributed 'Information Network', using state-of-the-art information and communication technology. This becomes all the more important to ensure the desired level of protection in field formations to safeguard the impressive gains of a focused project like 'Project Tiger'. The important elements in Wildlife protection and control are: Mapping/Plot (graphics)plotting the relative spatial abundance of wild animals, identification of risk factors, proximity to risk factors, 'sensitivity categorization', 'crime mapping' and immediate action for apprehending the offenders based on effective networking and communication. Space technology has shown the interconnectivity of natural and anthropogenic phenomena occurring anywhere on earth. Several Tiger Reserves are being linked with the Project Tiger Directorate in the GIS domain forWildlife Crime Risk Management. A 'Tiger Atlas of India' and a 'Tiger Habitat & Population Evaluation System' for the country is being developed using state-of-the-art technology. This involves:
- Mapping , data acquisition and GIS modeling
- Field data collection and validation
- Data Maintenance , Dissemination and Use
The following potential tiger habitats in the country are being covered:
- Shivalik-Terai Conservation Unit (Uttaranchal, UP, Bihar, West Bengal, Nepal)
- North east Conservation Unit
- Sunderbans Conservation Unit
- Central Indian Conservation Unit
- Eastern Ghat Conservation Unit
- Western Ghat Conservation Unit
Satellite data is being used and classified into vegetation and land use maps on a 1:50,000 scale, with digitized data relating to contour, villages, roads, drainage, administrative boundaries and soil. The spatial layers would be attached with attribute data, viz. human population, livestock population, meteorological data, agricultural information and field data pertaining to wildlife, habitat for evolving regional protocols to monitor tiger and its habitat.
Future activities Conservation of tigers and their prey species faces challenges from the need for income, lack of awareness, and lack of land use policy in landscapes having Tiger Reserves. These landscapes should be viewed as a mosaic of different land use patterns, viz, tiger conservation and preservation, forestry, sustainable use and development, besides socio-economic growth.
Tiger habitats exist in environments of thousands of Indigenous peoples and indigenous communities that depend on them. Therefore we cannot view these protected areas in isolation from the surrounding socio-economic realities and developmental priorities of the Government. This calls for a cross-sectoral and cross-disciplinary approach.
Tigers now need a "preservationist" approach. Regional planning is important around Tiger Reserves to foster ecological connectivity between protected areas through restorative inputs with integrated landuse planning. The management plan of a Tiger Reserve, therefore, needs to be integrated in larger regional management plans.
