PeterGriffin
Elite
The number of tigers in the country is reported to have gone up with the estimations rising from 1,411 in 2006 to 1,706 in 2010, but the increase could be attributed mainly to the inclusion of previously uncounted tigers in the latest count. The Sunderbans delta, home to the world-famous Bengal tiger, significantly boosted the tally with a count of 70 tigers which were not included in the previous similar exercise in 2006 that had continued for more than a year. The latest tiger census, unveiled on Monday, also includes numbers from several other tiger habitats lying in the Naxal-affected areas such as the Valmiki or Palamau tiger reserves, and in states like Maharashtra, Uttarakhand and Assam, which had been left out of the exercise last time.
Yet, the increased count comes as a relief in a country where the number of tigers generates a huge public interest.
“This is a very welcome news. This is an indication that our conservation efforts are slowly bearing fruits,” said Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, who released the new tiger numbers.
Some independent tiger experts were, however, not equally ecstatic. “Since threats faced by tigers do not appear to have diminished in the last four years, it is difficult to explain the claimed reversal in the decline of tigers,” said K Ulhas Karanth, director, Centre for Wildlife Studies in Bangalore.
The latest census said the tiger numbers in areas which had been assessed the previous time as well had increased by 12 per cent, that is, from 1,411 to 1,580. That in itself seems a big success, reflective, as it is, of an arrest in the sharply declining number of tigers in the last few decades.
Till the first half of this decade, the official estimates of tiger population was around 3,500 though it was widely believed to be an inflated number. It was the 2006 exercise, released in 2007, that finally gave a realistic estimate of the remaining tigers in the country.
While the numbers have increased, the latest census reveals that the actual area in which tigers reside has shrunk alarmingly from 93,600 sq km in 2006 to 72,800 sq km now.
“Most of India’s reproducing tiger populations are now concentrated in 10 per cent of all tiger habitats. This 10 per cent actually accounts for 90 per cent of all our tigers. These 40 or so ‘source populations’ face grave threat and need to be ecologically monitored annually,” said Karanth.
The census has been done by the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India in collaboration with the National Tiger Conservation Authority. A total of 550 tigers were individually photographed and the rest of the number was estimated using statistical methods.
Tiger population up to 1,706
Yet, the increased count comes as a relief in a country where the number of tigers generates a huge public interest.
“This is a very welcome news. This is an indication that our conservation efforts are slowly bearing fruits,” said Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, who released the new tiger numbers.
Some independent tiger experts were, however, not equally ecstatic. “Since threats faced by tigers do not appear to have diminished in the last four years, it is difficult to explain the claimed reversal in the decline of tigers,” said K Ulhas Karanth, director, Centre for Wildlife Studies in Bangalore.
The latest census said the tiger numbers in areas which had been assessed the previous time as well had increased by 12 per cent, that is, from 1,411 to 1,580. That in itself seems a big success, reflective, as it is, of an arrest in the sharply declining number of tigers in the last few decades.
Till the first half of this decade, the official estimates of tiger population was around 3,500 though it was widely believed to be an inflated number. It was the 2006 exercise, released in 2007, that finally gave a realistic estimate of the remaining tigers in the country.
While the numbers have increased, the latest census reveals that the actual area in which tigers reside has shrunk alarmingly from 93,600 sq km in 2006 to 72,800 sq km now.
“Most of India’s reproducing tiger populations are now concentrated in 10 per cent of all tiger habitats. This 10 per cent actually accounts for 90 per cent of all our tigers. These 40 or so ‘source populations’ face grave threat and need to be ecologically monitored annually,” said Karanth.
The census has been done by the Dehradun-based Wildlife Institute of India in collaboration with the National Tiger Conservation Authority. A total of 550 tigers were individually photographed and the rest of the number was estimated using statistical methods.
Tiger population up to 1,706
