India has 3682 tigers, home to 75 percent of global numbers: Tiger census data

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in news

Context:

Report: Status of Tigers 2022 was released on International Tigers Day (29 July).
Apart from the All India Tiger Estimation 2022 report, a report on the reserves and management effectiveness and evaluation report were also released. Six tiger reserves in the country — Kali, Melghat, Pilibhit, Tadoba Andhari, Navegaon and Periyar — were given CAT awards.

Tiger population in India:

Tiger census is held every four years in the country.
The number of tigers in India has increased from 2,967 in 2018 to 3,682 in 2022, an annual rise of 6 per cent.
According to data analysis done by the Wildlife Institute of India, the upper limit of the tiger population is estimated to be 3925 and the average number is 3682 tigers.
Now India has become home to approximately 75 percent of the world’s tiger population.

State wise analysis:

States where tiger population has increased:
- With a 50 per cent increase in the last four years, Madhya Pradesh has the maximum number (785) of tigers in the country, followed by Karnataka (563), Uttarakhand (560), and Maharashtra (444).

States where tiger population has decreased:
- States such as Arunachal Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand have recorded a dip in the number of majestic cats in the last few years.
- Arunachal Pradesh lost around 70 percent of its tigers — from 29 in 2018 to just 9 in 2022. The number of tigers dropped from 28 to 20 in Odisha, from 5 to 1 in Jharkhand, from 19 to 17 in Chhattisgarh and from 26 to 21 in Telangana.
- The count dipped from 6 in 2006 to nil in 2022 in Mizoram and from 10 in 2006 to just 2 in 2022 in northern West Bengal.
- Nagaland also does not have any tigers now.

Status of tiger reserves:

Approximately, 35 percent of the 53 tiger reserves in India urgently require enhanced protection measures, habitat restoration, ungulate augmentation, and subsequent tiger reintroduction.
The number of tigers “within the tiger reserve” is highest in Corbett (260), followed by Bandipur (150), Nagarhole (141), Bandhavgarh (135), Dudhwa (135), Mudumalai(114), Kanha (105), Kaziranga (104), Sundarbans (100), Tadoba (97), Sathyamangalam (85), and Pench-MP (77).
Eighteen tiger reserves have less than 10 big cats left.
- These are Ranipur in Uttar Pradesh; Achanakmar, Indravati and Udanti Sitanadi in Chhattisgarh; Palamau in Jharkhand; Bor and Sahyadri in Maharashtra; Satkosia in Odisha; Mukundara and Ramgarh Vishdhari in Rajasthan; Kawal in Telangana; Kalakad Mundanthurai in Tamil Nadu; Nameri in Assam; Dampa in Mizoram; Pakke, Kamlang and Namdapha in Arunachal Pradesh and Buxa in West Bengal.

Regional analysis of tiger population:

Shivalik hills and Gangetic Plains landscape:
- Experienced a significant surge: 804 unique tigers have been photographed in these regions, surpassing the estimated 646 population in 2018.
Western Ghats:
- Witnessed a decrease in tiger occupancy, except for a few areas like Kali (Anshi Dandeli), where the number of unique tigers remains stable.
- Reason for decline: increasing human footprint and development.
Northeastern hills and Brahmaputra Plains landscape:
- While the number of distinctive tigers decreased to 194 from the estimated 219 in 2018, the report assured that the tiger population in the region is still “secure”.
Central India:
- Seen an increase in the tiger population, with 1,161 tigers photographed compared to the estimated 1,033 in 2018.
- While this expansion of tiger habitats is positive, urgent attention and conservation efforts are required in areas including reserves like Kawal, Satkosia, and Sahyadri, to prevent the extinction of small populations and mitigate human-tiger interactions.
Sundarbans:
- 100 tigers were captured on camera in 2022 compared to 88 in 2018.
- The population remains steady, but there is limited potential for range extension.
- To preserve the ecological integrity of the Sundarbans, the cross-border collaboration and knowledge exchange between India and Bangladesh is needed.

Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS)

CA|TS has been agreed upon as an accreditation tool by the global coalition of Tiger Range Countries (TRCs) and has been developed by tiger and protected area experts.
Officially launched in 2013, it sets minimum standards for effective management of target species and encourages the assessment of these standards in relevant conservation areas.
CA|TS is a set of criteria that allows tiger sites to check if their management will lead to successful tiger conservation.
The Global Tiger Forum (GTF), an international NGO working on tiger conservation, and World Wildlife Fund India are the two implementing partners of the National Tiger Conservation Authority for CATS assessment in India.

The 14 tiger reserves which have been accredited are: