Numerous significant steps to strengthen conservation of tiger: Jairam Ramesh
Reasons for Depletion of Tigers: Poaching, Degradation of Forest Status, Ecologically Unsustainable Land-Uses, Extremist Disturbances
Several milestone initiatives have been taken to strengthen tiger conservation in the country based on the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force, which was constituted by the National Board for Wildlife, in the wake of tigers getting locally extinct in Sariska. Responding to a calling attention notice by Shri Rajiv Pratap Rudy, in Rajya Sabha today relating to “the situation arising out of the depletion of the population of tigers and in some cases their extinction in many protected areas in the country the action taken by the government”, Shri Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State for Environment & Forests (Independent charge informed this in a statement.
Expressing deep concern the minister said that conservation of our national animal, the tiger, is a cardinal issue with national and international ramifications. The status of tiger continues to be endangered, and the Government of India, in an ongoing manner, is providing assistance to the 17 tiger States under the Centrally sponsored scheme of Project Tiger.
Giving details on numerous significant steps taken by the Ministry during the last few years Shri Jairam Ramesh said they include amendment of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 in 2006 for constituting the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, declaration of 8 new tiger reserves, revision of project tiger scheme with new components including an enhanced village relocation package of Rs.10 lakhs per family from the earlier Rs.1 lakh, providing enhanced financial support to States for tiger conservation with eco-development for fringe people, taking steps for international cooperation to conserve tigers, reintroduction of tigers in Sariska and Panna and providing 100% central assistance for raising, arming and deploying the Special Tiger Protection Force in 13 sensitive tiger reserves.
As per the findings of the recent All India Tiger Estimation in 2008, using the refined methodology, the total country level population of tiger is 1411 ( mid-value) the lower and the upper limits being 1165 and 1657 respectively.This assessment is not comparable to the earlier total count using pug marks.
The new findings indicate a poor status of tiger population in areas outside tiger reserves and some protected areas. The tiger population, by and large, in tiger reserves and in some protected areas of the 17 tiger states are viable, while requiring ongoing conservation efforts. In the recent past, tigers have become locally extinct in Sariska and Panna tiger reserves mainly due to poaching. While a CBI investigation was done in the case of Sariska, a Special Investing Team (SIT) was constituted by the Ministry with an independent expert and members drawn from the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Wildlife Institute of India and the National Tiger Conservation Authority for investigating the causative factors for tiger extinction in Panna. The SIT has recently submitted its report, which has been sent to the State government of Madhya Pradesh for needful administrative and ecological actions.
The status of tiger is low in some tiger reserves due to ecological factors like heavy rainfall leading to dense forest cover and paucity of natural prey base to support tigers, viz. Dampa in Mizoram, Namdapha in Arunachal Pradesh and Kallakad-Mundanthurai in Tamil Nadu. In some reserves the status of tiger is low due to left-wing extremism or other extremist disturbances viz. Indiavati(Chhattisgarh), Valmiki(Bihar), Manas(Assam), Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam(Andhra Pradesh), Buxa(West Bengal), Palamu(Jharkhand) and Simlipal( Orissa).
The main reasons for tiger decline include poaching, degradation of forest status outside tiger reserves and protected areas due to human pressure, life-stock pressure and ecologically unsustainable land-uses. This has caused fragmentation of habitat leading to mortality of tigers and their prey due to man-wild animal conflicts. Heavily used infrastructures like highways and rail-tracks disturb wild animals while causing their death due to road/train hits. Overall, there is a loss of forest quality in terms of prey biomass to support large carnivores like tiger and leopards.
The findings of the recent All India Tiger Estimation in the geographical information system domain has provided a knowledge of the status of existing source population of tiger and its habitat. This has enabled notification of core/ critical tiger habitats apart from identifying sensitive corridors, State-wise. Recently, a tripartite MoU arrangement has been approved between the Ministry of Environment & Forests (acting through the National Tiger Conservation Authority), the States and the Field Directors of Tiger Reserves to ensure reciprocal commitments linked to fund-flows for effective tiger conservation.
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(Release ID :49824)