Project Tiger is the most famous wildlife conservation project of India, which was lunched in 1972 to protect the

diminishing population of Indian tigers. As recently as 1970, the hunting of tigers was legal in India and this majestic animal was hunted by the erstwhile royals and elites for pleasure and its beautiful skin. According to various estimates, during the 1950s and early 1960s, over 3,000 tigers lost their lives to trophy hunters. In the beginning of the 1970s, the tiger population in India was estimated to be around 1,800, shocking and jolting the concerned authorities to formulate an immediate plan to save Indian tigers and the result was the launch of Project Tiger in 1972. India is home to the largest number of wild tigers in the world and shelters approximately 60% of the world's wild tiger population. Initially 9 Tiger reserves covering an area of 16,339 sq km were chosen for Project Tiger. Corbett National Park was the first national park of India to be covered under Project Tiger on April 1st, 1973. Now as many as 27 Tiger Reserves, covering an area of37,761 sq km, are included in Project Tiger. The main aim of Project Tiger was to create a safe haven and ideal environmental conditions for the survival and growth of tigers and its prey to ensure maintenance of a viable population of this wonderful animal in the country. From its inception in 1972, Project Tiger was aimed at saving the tiger and to identify and eliminate the factors responsible for the decline of tiger population in the country. The factors recognized by Project Tiger included habitat destruction, forestry disturbance, loss of prey, poaching and competition with local villagers and domestic animals. One of the best examples proving the success of Project Tiger in India is the famous Bandipur Tiger Reserve. According to surveys the number of tigers in Bandipur Tiger Reserve has risen from only 10 in 1972 to around 80 in 1997. Similarly the number of tigers in Corbett Tiger Reserve also increased from mere 40 in 1972 to about 150 in 1997. Tiger population in India may not still be in thrilling numbers and poaching still may be quite rampant but a lot more effort is being put into saving this beautiful animal. Though Project Tiger once saved the tigers from extinction in India, today the Project faces some major problems, creating grave situations for India tigers. Reports of widespread poaching of tigers in two of the premier Tiger Reserves of North India- Sariska and Ranthambore is heartbreaking news for tiger lovers all around the world. Thanks to the efforts made by Dr. Manmohan Singh, the present Prime Minister of India, who visited Ranthambore to review the condition and ordered a high level inquiry to book the culprits. A special committee comprising of eminent ecologists and wildlife experts, under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister himself, has also been constituted to find new ways to curb the menace of indiscriminate poaching of tigers in India.

Project Tiger
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Project Tiger is a wildlife conservation movement initiated in India in 1973 to protect tigers. The project aims at tiger conservation in specially constituted tiger reserves representative of various regions throughout India and strives to maintain viable populations of Bengal tigers in their natural environment. Project Tiger, launched in 1973-74, is one of our most successful conservation ventures in the recent times. The project aims at tiger conservation in specially constituted 'tiger reserves', which are representative of various bio-geographical regions falling within india. It strives to maintain a viable tiger population in the natural environment. In 2008 there were more than 40 Project Tiger reserves covering an area over 37,761 km2 (14,580 sq mi). Project Tiger helped to increase the population of these tigers from 1,200 in the 1970s to 3,500 in 1990s. However, a 2008 census held by the Government of India revealed that the tiger population had dropped to 1,411. Since then the government has pledged US$153 million to further fund the project, set-up a Tiger Protection Force to combat poachers, and fund the relocation of up to 200,000 villagers to minimize human-tiger conflicts. The number of tigers in India's wild has gone up by 20%, according to the latest (2011) tiger census, which has surveyed the whole of India for the first time. The census puts the population of the big cat at 1,706. There were 1,706 tigers including tigers in the Sunderbans at the last count.

Contents
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1 Goals and objectives 2 Organisation 3 History 4 Future plans 5 See also 6 References 7 External links

[edit] Goals and objectives

Project Tiger was meant to identify the limiting factors and to mitigate them by suitable management. The damages done to the habitat were to be rectified so as to facilitate the recovery of the ecosystem to the maximum possible extent. The potential tiger habitats being covered are:[1]

SivalikTerai Conservation Unit (Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal), and in Nepal North east Conservation Unit Sunderbans Conservation Unit Central Indian Conservation Unit Eastern Ghat Conservation Unit Western Ghat Conservation Units

[edit] Organisation
Project Tiger is administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority. The overall administration of the project is monitored by a Steering Committee. A Field Director is appointed for each reserve, who is assisted by the field and technical personnel. At the centre, a full-fledged Director of the project coordinates the work for the country. Wireless communication system and outstation patrol camps have been developed within the tiger reserves, due to which poaching has declined considerably. Fire protection engineering is carried out by suitable preventive and control measures. Villages have been relocated in many reserves, especially from core areas. Livestock grazing has been controlled to a great extent in the tiger reserves. Various compensatory developmental works have improved the water regime and the ground and field level vegetation, thereby increasing the animal density.tigers

[edit] History
The tiger population in India at the turn of the 19th century was estimated at 45,000 individuals. The first ever all-India tiger census was conducted in 1972 which revealed the existence of only 1827 tigers. In 1973, the project was launched in Palamau Tiger Reserve, and various tiger reserves were created in the country based on a 'core-buffer' strategy. For each tiger reserve, management plans were drawn up based on the following principles:

Elimination of all forms of human exploitation and biotic disturbance from the core area and rationalization of activities in the buffer zone. Restricting the habitat management only to repair the damages done to the eco-system by human and other interferences so as to facilitate recovery of the eco-system to its natural state. Monitoring the faunal and floral changes over time and carrying out research about wildlife.

Global organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) contributed much funding to Project Tiger.[citation needed] Eventually, however, it was discovered that the project's field directors had been manipulating tiger census numbers in order to encourage more financial support.[citation needed] In fact, the numbers were so exaggerated as to be biologically impossible in some cases. In addition, Project Tiger's efforts were damaged by poaching, as well as the Sariska debacle and the latest Namdapha tragedy, both of which were reported extensively in the Indian media.[citation needed] The landmark report, Status of the Tigers, Co-predators, and Prey in India, published in 2007 by the National Tiger Conservation Authority estimates only 1411 adult tigers in existence in India, plus uncensused tigers in the Sundarbans.[2] The project to map all the forest reserves in India has not been completed yet, though the Ministry of Environment and Forests had sanctioned . 13 million for the same in March 2004. The Forest Rights Act passed by the Indian government in 2006 recognises the rights of some forest dwelling communities in forest areas. This has led to controversy over implications of such recognition for tiger conservation. Some have argued that this is problematic as it will increase conflict and opportunities for poaching; some also assert that "tigers and humans cannot exist".[3] Others argue that this is a limited perspective that overlooks the reality of human-tiger coexistence and the role of abuse of power by authorities, rather than local people, in the tiger crisis. This position was supported by the Government of India's Tiger Task Force, and is also taken by some forest dwellers' organisations.[4][5] Though Project Tiger once saved the tigers from extinction in India, today the Project faces major problems which are likely to critically endanger Indian tigers.[citation needed] Reports of widespread poaching of tigers in two of the premier Tiger Reserves of North India- Sariska and Ranthambore is heartbreaking news for tiger lovers all around the world. Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India, visited Ranthambore to review the condition and ordered a high level inquiry to book the culprits. A special committee of eminent ecologists and wildlife experts, under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister, has also been constituted to find new ways to curb the menace of indiscriminate poaching of tigers in India.[citation needed]

[edit] Future plans

Wildlife protection and crime risk management in the present scenario requires a widely distributed Information Network, using state-of-the-art information and communication technology. This becomes all the more important to ensure the desired level of protection in field formations to safeguard the impressive gains of a focused project like 'Project Tiger'. The important elements in wildlife protection and control are: Mapping/Plot

(graphics)plotting the relative spatial abundance of wild animals, identification of risk factors, proximity to risk factors, 'sensitivity categorization', 'crime mapping' and immediate action for apprehending the offenders based on effective networking and communication. Space technology has shown the interconnectivity of natural and anthropogenic phenomena occurring anywhere on earth. Several tiger reserves are being linked with the Project Tiger Directorate in the GIS domain for Wildlife Crime Risk Management. A 'Tiger Atlas of India' and a 'Tiger Habitat and Population Evaluation System' for the country is being developed using state-of-the-art technology. This involves:

Mapping, data acquisition and GIS modeling Field data collection and validation Data Maintenance, dissemination and use

Satellite data is being used and classified into vegetation and land use maps on a 1:50,000 scale, with digitized data relating to contour, villages, roads, drainage, administrative boundaries and soil. The spatial layers would be attached with attribute data, viz. human population, livestock population, meteorological data, agricultural information and field data pertaining to wildlife, habitat for evolving regional protocols to monitor tigers and their habitat. Conservation of tigers and their prey species faces challenges from the need for income, lack of awareness, and lack of land use policy in landscapes having Tiger Reserves.

[edit] See also

List of tiger reserves in India

[edit] References
1. 2. ^ "Project Tiger Reserves", Project Tiger (National Tiger Conservation Authority, Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India), http://projecttiger.nic.in/map.htm ^ Y.V. Jhala, R. Gopal, Q. Qureshi (eds.), ed (2008). Status of the Tigers, Co-predators, and Prey in India. TR 08/001. New Delhi: National Tiger Conservation Authority, Govt. of India. pp. -151. http://projecttiger.nic.in/whtsnew/status_of_tigers_in_india_2008.pdf. ^ Buncombe, A. (2007) The face of a doomed species The Independent, 31 October 2007 online ^ Government of India (2005) Tiger Task Force Report online ^ Campaign for Survival and Dignity Tiger Conservation: A Disaster in the Making online

3. 4. 5.