th

JULY 29

E-Book 5
Global Tiger Day – JULY 29th
• Global Tiger Day was observed for the first time in 2010 at the
St. Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia when all 13 tiger range
countries came together for the first time with the commitment
of doubling the number of wild tigers by 2022.
• The countries thereby, signed the St. Petersburg declaration on
tiger conservation.
• During the said meeting it was also decided to celebrate July 29
as Global Tiger Day across the world.
• The aim is to promote a global system for protecting the natural
habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for
tiger conservation issues.
• There is no theme as such. But a Slogan is very pronounced –
“Their survival is in our hands”.
• India’s fulfilment of its resolve to double tiger numbers, four
years in advance to the target year of 2022. India now has
nearly 70% of the global tiger population.

FACT: 96% of tigers have disappeared in last 100 years

Where the Tigers Live?

13 Tiger-range Countries

• The Tiger Range Countries (TRC) –

countries where tigers still roam
free i.e. in the wild.
• Only 13 countries that have the
pride of having tigers in the wild
and tiger-bearing areas in the
world.
• Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia,
China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR,
Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal,
Russia, Thailand, Vietnam.
• Asia Ministerial Conference on
Tiger Conservation - All TRCs will
share their good practices and
success stories, thereby
contributing towards the
conservation of the species.
 Tiger’s of the World
• Tigers are the largest members of the Felidae family, that is,
of all cats.
• These predators, scientifically known as Panthera Tigris, are
one of the most charismatic and well-known mammal species
on the planet.
• There are totally nine sub species of Tigers in the world out
of which three species, namely the Javan Tiger, The Caspian
Tiger and The Bali Tiger, are now extinct.
• The remaining are The Royal Bengal Tiger, The South China,
The Indo-Chinese Tiger, The Malayan Tiger, The Siberian Tiger
and The South China Tiger.
• Tiger chooses the lowlands and is frequently seen in
grasslands, swamps, and mangroves. The Bengal mangrove
ecosystem is a rich habitat for royal Tigers and they have
adapted by being fervent swimmers.
• According to the IUCN Red list, the tiger is listed as an
Endangered animal.
• There is an abrupt fall in the population of tigers due to
poaching, hunting, illegal smuggling of Tiger Skin and other
body parts.

Extinct

Note: Tigers are the only cat species with

stripes provides an excellent camouflage. The FACT: White Tiger is not a separate species but rather a genetic mutation.
Stripes are as unique as finger prints. No two
tigers have same stripe pattern.
 Conservation Status
Endangered

Endangered (EN), species that possess a very high risk of extinction as a

result of rapid population declines of 50 to more than 70 percent over the
previous 10 years (or three generations), a current population size of fewer
than 250 individuals, or other factors.

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972

Schedule - I
• This Schedule covers endangered species, that need rigorous protection
No. of Tigers in the wild and therefore, the harshest penalties for violation of the law are for
species under this Schedule.

3890 •

•
•
Species under this Schedule are prohibited to be hunted throughout
India, except under threat to human life.
Absolute protection is accorded to species in this list.
Trade of these animals is prohibited.

No. of Tigers in INDIA

2967 Appendix - I

• Appendix I lists species that are the most endangered among CITES-listed animals and
Thus, India has 70 % of plants.
the world's tiger • They are threatened with extinction and CITES prohibits international trade in specimens
of these species except when the purpose of the import is not commercial (Article III), for
population. instance for scientific research.
• In these exceptional cases, trade may take place provided it is authorized by the granting of
both an import permit and an export permit (or re-export certificate).
 Threats

Habitat Loss

Vacancies in
sacntioned Human Animal
posts of Tiger conflict
Reserves

Threats to
Conservation

Shortage of Poaching and

prey illegal Trade

Poisoning

A recent report by TRAFFIC

• Titled ‘Skin and Bones Unresolved: An Analysis of Tiger Seizures from
2000-2018’ compiled by TRAFFIC, in partnership with the World Wildlife
Fund (WWF) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has
quantified the illegal global trade in tigers and tiger parts over a 19-year
period between 2000 and 2018.
• Overall, a conservative estimate of 2,359 tigers were seized from 2000 to
2018 across 32 countries and territories globally. These occurred from a
total of 1,142 seizure incidents.
• The top three countries with the highest number of seizure incidents were
India (463 or 40.5% of total seizures) and China (126 or 11.0%), closely
followed by Indonesia (119 or 10.5%)
• India is the country with the highest number of seizure incidents (463, or
40% of all seizures) as well as tigers seized (625).

POACHING
Indian Scenario – Status & Conservation
• India is home to the Royal Bengal Tiger, which is also the
National Animal of India.
• The scientific name of this animal is Panthera Tigris Tigris.
• The Bengal tiger is the largest group of tiger subspecies in the
world, and it is found in the nations of Bangladesh, Bhutan,
India and Nepal.
• Tigers are at the top of the food chain and are sometimes
referred to as “umbrella species" that is their conservation also
conserve many other species in the same area.
• India accounts for majority of the 3,500-odd tigers constituting
70 % of the total.
• India’s five tiger landscapes are: Shivalik Hills and Gangetic
Plains, Central Indian Landscape and Eastern Ghats, Western
Ghats, North-East Hills and Brahmaputra Plains, and the
Sundarbans.
• The government has initiated many programs related to the
conservation of the Tiger population in the country, which has
led a rise in the population of wild lions and tigers in India.

National Tiger Conservation Authority

• The National Tiger Conservation Authority (established in 2005) is a statutory body under the Ministry
of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
• It was provided statutory status by the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006 which had
amended Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Environment Minister is the Chairman of the NTCA.
• An important function of NTCA is according approval for declaring new Tiger Reserves.

Project TIGER
• Project Tiger was launched in 1973 with 9 tiger reserves for
conserving our national animal, the tiger. Currently, the Project
Tiger coverage has increased to 50, spread out in 18 tiger range
states.
• The tiger reserves are constituted on a Core/buffer strategy.
The core areas have the legal status of a national park or a
sanctuary, whereas the buffer or peripheral areas are a mix of
forest and non-forest land, managed as a multiple use area.
• It is an ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of
Environment, Forests and Climate Change providing central
assistance to the tiger States for tiger conservation in designated
tiger reserves.
• It is administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
• Buffer area is the area peripheral to the critical tiger habitat or
core area providing supplementary habitat for dispersing tigers,
besides offering scope for co-existence of human activity.
o The limits of the buffer/ peripheral areas are determined
on the basis of scientific and objective criteria in
consultation with the Gram Sabha and an Expert
Committee constituted for the purpose.
All India Tiger Estimation 2020
The tiger count is prepared after every four years by the National
Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) provides details on the number of
tigers in the 18 tiger reign states with 50 tiger reserves.
The first was conducted in 2006, followed by 2010 and in 2014.
Importance of Fourth Tiger Census 2018:

• This time, the census included the data collected from the rough
terrains of north-eastern states which were not possible due to
logistic constraints before.
• This 2018 tiger census uses more technology including a mobile
app named “MSTrIPES” for the very first time to store information
of the counting.
• For the very first time three neighbouring countries Bhutan,
M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers - Intensive Nepal and Bangladesh are helping in counting the number of
Protection and Ecological Status) is an app based tigers all across India, especially in the region with mutual
monitoring system, launched across Indian tiger reserves borders.
by the NTCA in 2010. The system would enable field • The entire exercise spanned over four years is considered to be
managers to assist intensity and spatial coverage of the world’s largest wildlife survey effort in terms of coverage and
patrols in a geographic information system (GIS) domain. intensity of sampling.

Details of The Report:

• India has 70% of the world’s tigers, says the report. With the tiger population estimated at 2,967, India may slowly be
approaching its peak carrying capacity of tigers.
• The detailed survey reveals that nearly a third of India’s tigers are living outside tiger reserves and nearly 17 of the 50
reserves are approaching the peak of their capacity at sustaining their populations.
• Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tigers at 526, closely followed by Karnataka (524) and Uttarakhand (442).
• Chhattisgarh and Mizoram saw a decline in tiger population and all other States saw a “positive” increase, according
to a press statement.
• Implementing CATS frameworks
o India had embarked upon assessing management interventions through the globally developed Conservation
Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS) framework.
o This framework will now be extended to all fifty tiger reserves across the country

Many firsts: How 4th All India Tiger

Estimation is unique?

• Abundance index of co-

predators and other species has
been carried out which hitherto
was restricted only to occupancy
• Sex ratio of tigers in all camera
trap sites has been carried out
for the first time.
• Anthropogenic effects on tiger
populations have been
elaborated in a detailed manner.
• Tiger abundance within pockets
in tiger reserves has been
demonstrated for the first time.
Global Conservation Efforts
Global Tiger Forum

• The GTF was formed in 1993 on recommendations from an International symposium on Tiger Conservation at
New Delhi, India.
• The GTF is the only intergovernmental international body established with members from willing countries to
embark on a global campaign to protect the Tiger.

World Wildlife Foundation’s (WWF) ‘Tx2’ programme

• Launched by WWF at the 2010 St Petersburg Tiger Summit held in Russia.

• Under it, 13 tiger range countries had agreed to double the world tiger population by 2022, which is the year
of tiger in Chinese calendar.

Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS) framework.

• CA|TS is a set of criteria which allows tiger sites to check if their management will lead to successful tiger
conservation.
• CA|TS is organised under seven pillars and 17 elements of critical management activity and was officially
launched in 2013

Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Program

• Launched in 2014, the ITHCP is a strategic funding mechanism that aims to save tigers in the wild, their
habitats and to support human populations in key locations throughout Asia.

The Global Tiger Initiative

• The Global Tiger Initiative (GTI) was launched in 2008 as a global alliance of governments, international
organizations, civil society, the conservation and scientific communities and the private sector, with the aim
of working together to save wild tigers from extinction.
• In 2013, the scope was broadened to include Snow Leopards.
Save Tigers !!!