Ecology, economy not in conflict: PM on tigers
India's tiger population increased by 6.74% from 2,967 in 2018 to 3,167 in 2022, according to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The tiger population in India saw a jump of 6.74% from 2,967 in 2018, to 3,167 in 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.
Addressing an event to mark 50 years of Project Tiger, the PM said that the country gives importance to the coexistence of ecology and economy.
“India is a country where protecting nature is a part of the culture. India has only 2.4% of the world’s land area, but it contributes toward 8% to known global biodiversity,” PM Modi said.
“India does not believe in the conflict between ecology and economy, and gives equal importance to the coexistence of both,” he said.
The PM was speaking after inaugurating the event, commemoration of 50 years of Project Tiger, at Karnataka State Open University.
According to the new tiger estimation numbers, the population of the big cats was 1,411 in 2006; 1,706 in 2010; 2,226 in 2014; 2,967 in 2018 and 3,167 in 2022. There has been a 124.5% increase in tiger numbers since 2006.
“The tiger numbers that we have reached shows that this family of ours is growing. This is a moment of pride. I am confident and I assure the world that in the days to come we will achieve more,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“The tiger numbers that we have reached shows that this family of ours is growing. This is a moment of pride. I am confident and I assure the world that in the days to come we will achieve more,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav and minister of state Ashwini Kumar Choubey were among others present at the event.
The Prime Minister said that the success of Project Tiger is a matter of pride not only for India but for the whole world.
“Wildlife protection is not a one-country issue but a universal one,” Modi said after launching an International Big Cat Alliance for the conservation of seven big cats which include tigers, leopards, cheetahs, lions, snow leopards, puma and jaguar.
Around 97 range countries can be member states of this alliance, which will focus on preventing the extinction of these big cats due to various threats including climate crisis. It will drive benchmarking of big cat conservation practices and create a corpus of funds for their conservation.
“Together we will save these species from extinction, and create a safe and healthy ecosystem,” he said.
Earlier in 2019, PM Modi, on the occasion of Global Tiger Day, had called for an alliance of global leaders to obliterate demand, curb poaching and illegal wildlife trade in Asia. Taking that message forward, the International Big Cat Alliance was launched today, officials said.
PM Modi also released a vision document on Tigers during the Amrit Kaal; a commemorative coin and the 5th cycle of Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Tiger Reserves.
“India is the largest tiger range country in the world, the largest Asiatic elephant range country with nearly 30,000 elephants, and also the largest single-horn rhino country with a population of nearly 3,000,” the PM said.
He added that India is the only country in the world to have Asiatic lions and its population has increased from around 525 in 2015 to around 675 in 2020. India’s leopard population has also increased by over 60 % in four years, he said.
The Sahyadri or Western Ghats have several tribal communities, who have worked for wildlife and tigers to flourish, Modi noted as he applauded their contribution in conservation efforts.
The Oscar-winning documentary The Elephant Whisperers also depicts the traditional bond between nature and creatures, he said. “The lifestyle of the tribal society also helps a lot in understanding the vision of Mission LiFE i.e. Lifestyle for Environment,” he said.
“It is heartening that at the time when we have completed 75 years of independence, 75% of the world’s tiger population is in India. It is also a coincidence that the tiger reserve in India is 75,000 sq km. And in the last 10-12 years, the tiger population has also increased by 75%,” the Prime Minister added.
Earlier in the day, Modi went on a safari at the Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka, as part of events to mark 50 years of Project Tiger.
He reportedly covered about 20 kilometres in an open jeep inside the tiger reserve, located partly in Gundlupet taluk of Chamarajanagar district, and partly in HD Kote and Nanjangud taluks of Mysuru district.
“Spent the morning at the scenic Bandipur Tiger Reserve and got a glimpse of India’s wildlife, natural beauty and diversity,” Modi tweeted with some pictures of the safari.
Project Tiger was conceived by former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1973, and formally launched on April 1 at Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand. In her message, Gandhi wrote that Project Tiger “is a comment on our long neglect of the environment as well as …most welcome concern for saving one of nature’s most magnificent endowments”. Her message was documented in the book Indira Gandhi, a Life in Nature.
“Project Tiger was conceptualised with the goal of restoring tiger populations and protecting their habitats in India. Today, after five decades, Project Tiger is recognised as one of the most successful species-specific conservation programmes globally. The current minimum estimate of 3,167 tigers in the country... epitomises the commitment of the government, local communities and concerned citizens towards protecting our national animal. And to keep this momentum going and see growth and stability in tiger numbers, this exceptional conservation programme will require continued dedication of combined efforts and management of human-wildlife interactions,” said Ravi Singh, Secretary General and CEO WWF-India in a statement.
“There is scope to increase numbers, or tiger recovery in quite a few areas. There is space for more in areas where density and number of tigers are low, and habitat has the potential for tiger and prey recovery. There has to be a three-pronged approach. Firstly, protection needs to be strengthened where poaching of prey and tiger is a challenge. Second, connectivity with source sites will have to be restored and/or secured to ensure that tigers can migrate to areas which have low density and safe habitats. Third, coexistence needs to be promoted between people and tigers – engaging local communities in decision making is of paramount importance for securing the future of tigers and their habitats,” added Dipankar Ghose, director, wildlife and habitats programme, WWF-India.
“One of the main criteria for the project was whether under the umbrella of the project we could save other critically endangered species. The tiger we used as the flagship species and we hoped under the ramifications of Project Tiger we would save diverse habitat, the endangered species and that criteria was very useful. It was not a blind thing of tiger but to use the tiger to save something more valuable – habitat of the tiger. I don’t judge Project Tiger by only the number of tigers. I think that has caused certain deficiencies. Every field director regards tiger numbers as a matter of survival... you had absurd figures in some places... Tiger is not the be all and end all of the project but definitely the frontrunner. It’s a failure that people go to reserves only to ogle at tigers and several vehicles crowd shooting past you to see the tiger. This was not the vision,” MK Ranjitsinh, former bureaucrat, one of the main architects of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 had said on March 25.