Tiger reserves of India
The tiger reserves of India were set up in 1973 and are governed under Project Tiger, which is administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, Government of India. Tiger reserves were designated in 50 protected areas until 2018.[1] In 2022, the 53rd tiger reserve was declared in Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh, and the State's third tiger reserve.[2]
India is home to 80 percent of tigers in the world. In 2006, India estimated that there were 1,411 tigers, which more than doubled to a population 3,167 tigers in 2022.[3][4]
The increase in population of tigers in India played a major role in driving up global populations as well; the number of wild tigers globally rose from 3,159 in 2010 to 3,890 in 2016 according to World Wildlife Fund and Global Tiger Forum.[5]
Goal
State forestry departments operate 71,027.1 km2 (27,423.7 sq mi) of declared reserves "to ensure maintenance of viable populations of the conservation dependent Bengal tiger in India". The tiger is maintained for its scientific, economic, aesthetic, cultural and ecological values and to preserve areas of biological importance as a national heritage for the benefit of educational purposes."[6]
Population assessment
By the year 2018, according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority, there were estimated only 2,967 tigers in existence in India.[7] The 2010 National Tiger Assessment estimated the total population of tigers in India at 1,706. As per Ministry of Environment and Forests, the tiger population in India stood at 2,226 in 2014 with an increase of 30.5% since the 2010 estimate. This exhaustive study indicated that better protected tiger source sites, especially tiger reserves, have maintained viable populations. However, the area occupied by tigers outside protected areas has decreased considerably. This demonstrates the need for corridors in order for tigers to move between source sites. The existing tiger reserves represent around one-third of India's high density forest area.[8] More tigers were killed in the first quarter of 2016 than in the entire previous year. This significant revelation comes at a time when the tiger census numbers are disputed by the scientific community.
In 2010–11, the National Tiger Conservation Authority in partnership with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) undertook an independent management effectiveness evaluation (MEE) of the 53 tiger reserves in the country. The reserves were categorized into four major categories. As of 2015, Madhya Pradesh had the largest tiger population with 526 individuals in the age group of 1.5 years, followed by Karnataka with 524 individuals, Uttarakhand with 442 individuals, Tamil Nadu with 229 individuals, Maharashtra with 190 individuals, Assam with 167individuals, Kerala with 136 individuals and Uttar Pradesh with 117 individuals.[9]
List of tiger reserves
| Tiger Reserve | Year of creation | State | Population of tigers, 2018 | Population of tigers, 2023 | Area Core (km2) | Area buffer (km2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bandipur | 1973–74 | Karnataka | 120 | 150 | 868.63 | 584.06 |
| Corbett | 1973–74 | Uttarakhand | 216 | 260 | 1,318.54 | 466.32 |
| Kanha | 1973–74 | Madhya Pradesh | 80 | 105 | 917.43 | 1,134.36 |
| Manas | 1973–74 | Assam | 11 | 58 | 526.22 | 2,310.88 |
| Melghat | 1973–74 | Maharashtra | 25 | 57 | 1,500.49 | 1,268.03 |
| Palamau | 1973–74 | Jharkhand | 3 | 1 | 414.08 | 715.85 |
| Ranthambore | 1973–74 | Rajasthan | 37 | 57 | 1,333.36 | 297.92 |
| Similipal | 1973–74 | Odisha | 9 | 16 | 1,194.75 | 1,555.25 |
| Sunderbans | 1973–74 | West Bengal | 96 | 100 | 1,699.62 | 885.27 |
| Periyar | 1978–79 | Kerala | 20 | 30 | 881 | 44.00 |
| Sariska | 1978–79 | Rajasthan | 9 | 19 | 881.11 | 332.23 |
| Buxa | 1982–83 | West Bengal | 2 | 1 | 390.58 | 367.32 |
| Indravati | 1982–83 | Chhattisgarh | 12 | 1 | 1,258.37 | 1,540.70 |
| Namdapha | 1982–83 | Arunachal Pradesh | 11 | 1 | 1807.82 | 245.00 |
| Dudhwa | 1987–88 | Uttar Pradesh | 58 | 135 | 1,093.79 | 1,107.98 |
| Kalakad-Mundanthurai | 1988–89 | Tamil Nadu | 10 | 5 | 895.00 | 706.54 |
| Valmiki | 1989–90 | Bihar | 40 | 54 | 598.45 | 300.93 |
| Pench | 1992–93 | Madhya Pradesh | 43 | 77 | 411.33 | 768.30 |
| Tadoba-Andhari | 1993–94 | Maharashtra | 115 | 97 | 625.82 | 1,101.77 |
| Bandhavgarh | 1993–94 | Madhya Pradesh | 63 | 135 | 716.9 | 820.03 |
| Panna | 1994–95 | Madhya Pradesh | 17 | 55 | 576.13 | 1,021.97 |
| Dampa | 1994–95 | Mizoram | NA | NA | 500.00 | 488.00 |
| Bhadra | 1998–99 | Karnataka | 22 | 28 | 492.46 | 571.83 |
| Pench-MH | 1998–99 | Maharashtra | 35 | 48 | 257.26 | 483.96 |
| Pakke | 1999–2000 | Arunachal Pradesh | 7 | 6 | 683.45 | 515.00 |
| Nameri | 1999–2000 | Assam | 5 | 3 | 320.00 | 144.00 |
| Satpura | 1999–2000 | Madhya Pradesh | 26 | 50 | 1,339.26 | 794.04 |
| Anamalai | 2008–09 | Tamil Nadu | 13 | 16 | 958.59 | 521.28 |
| Sitanadi | 2008–09 | Chhattisgarh | 4 | 1 | 851.09 | 991.45 |
| Satkosia | 2008–09 | Odisha | 3 | NA | 523.61 | 440.26 |
| Kaziranga | 2008–09 | Assam | 103 | 104 | 625.58 | 548.00 |
| Achanakmar | 2008–09 | Chhattisgarh | 11 | 5 | 626.19 | 287.82 |
| Kali | 2008–09 | Karnataka | 5 | 17 | 814.88 | 282.63 |
| Sanjay Dhubri | 2008–09 | Madhya Pradesh | 8 | 16 | 812.57 | 861.93 |
| Mudumalai | 2007 | Tamil Nadu | 103 | 114 | 321.00 | 367.59 |
| Nagarhole | 2008–09 | Karnataka | 101 | 141 | 643.35 | 562.41 |
| Parambikulam | 2008–09 | Kerala | 19 | 31 | 390.89 | 252.77 |
| Sahyadri | 2009–10 | Maharashtra | 7 | NA | 612.00 | 565.45 |
| Biligiri Ranganatha Temple | 2010–11 | Karnataka | 68 | 37 | 359.10 | 215.72 |
| Kawal | 2012–13 | Telangana | NA | NA | 892.23 | 1,123.21 |
| Sathyamangalam | 2013–14 | Tamil Nadu | 72 | 85 | 793.49 | 614.91 |
| Mukandra Hills | 2013–14 | Rajasthan | NA | 1 | 717.17 | 342.82 |
| Nawegaon | 2013–14 | Maharashtra | 7 | 11 | 653.67 | 1,241.27 |
| Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam | 1982–83 | Andhra Pradesh | 74 | 58 | 2,595.72 | 700.59 |
| Amrabad | 2014 | Telangana | NA | 12 | 2,611.4 | 445.02 |
| Pilibhit | 2014 | Uttar Pradesh | 65 | 63 | 602.79 | 127.45 |
| Bor | 2014 | Maharashtra | 5 | 9 | 138.12 | 678.15 |
| Rajaji | 2015 | Uttarakhand | NA | 54 | 819.54 | 255.63 |
| Orang | 2016 | Assam | NA | 16 | 79.28 | 413.18 |
| Kamlang | 2016 | Arunachal Pradesh | NA | NA | 771.00 | 112.00 |
| Srivilliputhur–Megamalai | 2021 | Tamil Nadu | 14 | 12 | 641.86 | 374.70 |
| Ramgarh Vishdhari | 2022 | Rajasthan | 35 | 1 | 481.90 | 1,019.98 |
| Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary | 2022 | Uttar Pradesh | NA | NA | 230.31 | 299.05 |
| Veerangana Durgavati | 2023 | Madhya Pradesh | NA | NA | 1,414.00 | 925.12 |
| Karauli | 2023 | Rajasthan | NA | NA | 599.64 | NA |
- Amangarh Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh is a buffer zone of Jim Corbett National Park and may not be regarded as a separate tiger reserve. It has a buffer zone of 80.6 km2 (31.1 sq mi) but no core area of critical tiger habitat.[10][11]
References
- ^ Jhala, Y. V.; Qureshi, Q.; Nayak, A. K. (2019). Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India 2018. Summary Report. TR No./2019/05 (PDF) (Report). New Delhi, Dehradun: National Tiger Conservation Authority & Wildlife Institute of India.
- ^ "Uttar Pradesh gears up for its fourth tiger reserve in Chitrakoot". newsonair.com. 2022.
- ^ "India's tiger population sees 33% increase". BBC. 2019.
- ^ "India's tiger population tops 3,000, shows census". The Hindu. 2023-04-09. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 2023-05-24.
- ^ "2967 – What the new global Tiger number means". WWF. 2016.
- ^ "Project Tiger" (PDF). Delhi: Government of India. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
- ^ Y.V. Jhala; R. Gopal; Q. Qureshi, eds. (2008). Status of the Tigers, Co-predators and Prey in India (PDF) (Report). National Tiger Conservation Authority, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. TR 08/001. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-02.
- ^ "Tiger Estimate in India" (PDF). Public Information Brochure. New Delhi: Ministry of Environment and Forests, GOI. 28 March 2011. p. 9. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
- ^ "India's tiger population rises". Deccan Chronicle. 15 January 2015.
- ^ "Tiger Reserves". Wildlife Institute of India. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
- ^ "Tiger Reserves". National Tiger Conservation Authority. Retrieved 19 January 2021.
