Tigers struggle to move within Nepal even as they cross borders: study

  • July 20, 2023
  • Posted by: OptimizeIAS Team
  • Category: DPN Topics
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Tigers struggle to move within Nepal even as they cross borders: study

Subject: Environment

Section: Species in new

Context:

  • Tigers in Nepal are increasingly isolated in protected areas and facing difficulties moving within the country due to human activities and habitat fragmentation.

Details:

  • Suhelwa Wildlife Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh which borders Nepal is the new habitat of tigers of that region.
  • Tigers move from here to Banke National Park of Nepal.
  • Both the countries, India and Nepal, adopted the landscape-based approach in the early 2000s to save the Tigers in the Terai ARC Landscape (TAL), a flatland region along the Ganges and its tributaries.
  • Presently Nepal has 355 wild Tigers.
  • Domestic corridors in the Siwalik hills could connect the tiger populations and increase their genetic diversity and viability.
  • Conservationists recommend involving community forest user groups and implementing wildlife-friendly infrastructure guidelines to manage and protect the domestic corridors.

Concern:

  • The habitat destruction due to various causes include:
    • Construction of east-west highway across India and Nepal
    • Deforestation
    • Development of new settlements
    • Mining activities
  • The tiger habitat in the ARC region confined to Chitwan and Parsa in the east and Banke-Bardiya and Shuklaphanta in the west.
  • All this has reduced the genetic diversity of tigers.

About Tiger:

  • Scientific Name: Panthera tigris
  • Indian Sub Species: Panthera tigris tigris.
  • Habitat:
    • Its habitat stretches from Siberian temperate forests to subtropical and tropical forests on the Indian subcontinent and Sumatra.
    • It is the largest cat species and a member of the genus Panthera.
    • Traditionally eight subspecies of tigers have been recognized, out of which three are extinct.
  • Bengal Tigers: Indian Subcontinent
  • Caspian tiger: Turkey through central and west Asia (extinct).
  • Amur tiger: Amur Rivers region of Russia and China, and North Korea
  • Javan tiger: Java, Indonesia (extinct).
  • South China tiger: South central China.
  • Bali tiger: Bali, Indonesia (extinct).
  • Sumatran tiger: Sumatra, Indonesia.
  • Indo-Chinese tiger: Continental south-east Asia.
  • Threats:
    • Habitat destruction, habitat fragmentation and poaching.
  • Protection Status:
    • Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
    • International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List: Endangered.
    • Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES): Appendix I.
  • Tiger Reserves in India
    • Total Number: 53 according to NTCA.
  • Largest: Nagarjunsagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve, Andhra Pradesh on the basis of core area.
  • Smallest: Orang tiger reserve in Assam on the basis of core area.

About Suhelwa WLS:

  • Suhelwa Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary located in Balrampur, Gonda and Sravasti districts of the state of Uttar Pradesh in India.
  • It covers an area of 452 square kilometres.
  • The main mammals of Suhelwa are Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, sloth bear, antelope and deer. Other animals include fox, hyena, Indian elephant and wild cat.

Banke National Park:

  • It is located in the Lumbini Province and was established in 2010 as Nepal’s tenth national park after its recognition as a “Gift to the Earth”.
  • The protected area covers an area of 550 km2 (210 sq mi) with most parts falling on the Churia range.
  • Together with the neighbouring Bardia National Park, the coherent protected area of 1,518 km2 (586 sq mi) represents the Tiger Conservation Unit (TCU) Bardia-Banke.
Environment Tigers struggle to move within Nepal even as they cross borders: study