Setting UP of Tiger Reserves

The “in-principle” approval has been accorded by the National Tiger Conservation Authority for creation of four new tiger reserves, and the sites are: Biligiri Ranganatha Swamy Temple Sanctuary (Karnataka), Pilibhit (Uttar Pradesh), Ratapani (Madhya Pradesh) and Sunabeda (Orissa). Besides, the States have been advised to send proposals for declaring the following areas as Tiger Reserves:

(i) Bor (Maharashtra)

(ii) Suhelwa (Uttar Pradesh)

(iii) Nagzira-Navegaon (Maharashtra)

(iv) Satyamangalam (Tamil Nadu)

The country level tiger estimation using the refined methodology is done once in every four years for an assessment of the status of tiger, co-predators, prey animals and habitat. As per the findings of the all India Estimation of tiger using the refined methodology done in 2008, the total country-level population of tiger is 1411 (mid value); the lower and upper limits being 1165 and 1657 respectively. The recent assessment of tiger population is based on determining spatial occupancy of tigers throughout potential tiger forests and sampling such forests using camera traps in a statistical framework. This assessment is not comparable to the earlier total count using pugmarks owing to several shortcomings in the latter. The details of the last such assessment done in 2008 are at Annexure-I. Initiatives have been taken for the 2nd All India estimation of tigers using the above refined methodology.

This information was given by the Minister of State for Environment and Forests (Independent Charge) Shri Jairam Ramesh, in a written reply to a question by Shri T.M.Selvaganapathi in Rajya Sabha today.

KP