As India celebrates its Independence Day, an ecological retrospective on its unmatched efforts to save its national animal, the tiger is befitting.
We have completed half a century of successful wild tiger conservation under Project Tiger. An unmatched effort in the contemporary global scenario for saving a wild species.
Project Tiger, an “umbrella” species initiative, was launched on April 1, 1973, in nine eco-typical protected areas. These were designated as tiger reserves. Project states were handheld with technical and financial support to implement the tiger agenda. It also became a role model for implementing our national legislation, the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Presently, Project Tiger coverage is almost 2.3 percent of our country’s geographical area, amounting to almost 75,796.83 sq. km. This is spread out in 53 reserves of 18 states.
India’s efforts on the tiger front have not only put the endangered species on an assured path of recovery, but has also resurrected the entire gamut of ecosystem. The gains are far too many than mere numbers. Many tangible and quite a few intangible but crucial gains have accrued to the society, providing food, water, livelihood, climate, and health security - to name a few.
Amongst the 13 tiger range countries, India stands out, harbouring almost 70 percent of global wild tigers and their source areas.
Wildlife conservation is a shared responsibility between Centre, States and civil society. Land is a state subject, and the day-to-day management of biodiversity and wildlife is the direct responsibility of states. The role of Government of India, by virtue of concurrent listing of the subject in our Constitution, is to enact enabling legislations, provide policy framework/technical guidance and funding support.
Tiger landscapes are no longer the same as they used to be in the bygone era. This is a sequel to ongoing landscape level transformations largely due to anthropogenic stressors.
Such landscape level changes are a global phenomenon to which no country is an exception. Increase in human population, change in land-uses, compelling growth agenda along with urbanization are some drivers in the context.
The altered land parcels have led to lot of challenges for in-situ tiger conservation. The agro-pastoral stress continuum fosters several “ecological traps” which results in a chronic human-tiger interface conflict. The natural resource dependency of people in a tiger landscape further adds to the situation. The multitude of land-uses belonging to varied stakeholders do not have tiger on their agenda.
Considering the movement biology and source-sink dynamics of the tiger, it becomes important to look beyond the tiger reserve for saving the tiger.
In fact, the sustainability of tiger population in its reserve would depend on safeguarding actions in various sectors, governmental or non-governmental, operating centrifugally from the reserve. This necessitates a landscape level strategy of engagement with all stakeholders who operate therein. Agreed actions and mutual gains need to be hallmarks of such engagements.
During April 2023, our Hon’ble Prime Minister released the Amrit Kaal Ka Tiger Vision (Tiger@2047). This takes into account the challenge of in-situ wild tiger conservation vis-à-vis landscape level challenges, viz.: transformations of landscape, forest resource dependency of local people, tiger-human interface, need for livelihood options to locals, development agenda, adaptation to climate change, sustainability of ecosystem services and pandemic buffering.
The vision plan is centrifugal in nature. It aims towards consolidating the tiger agenda by mainstreaming tiger concerns amongst stakeholders. The action portfolios of the vision provide for strengthening at three major levels viz. National, State, and Field Formations, the latter encompassing as many as 14 thematic areas.
Tiger@2047 envisions the tiger as a mascot of livelihood, ecosystem well-being (in sync with CBD targets), and model for green investments. Undoubtedly, tiger is a multidimensional indicator bringing gains to people and biodiversity.
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