Tiger census for 2022 finds a rise in count at 3,167

India’s tiger population rose by 200 in the past four years to reach 3,167 in 2022

India’s tiger population now stands at 3,167, as per the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE) 2021-2022. The once-in-four-year survey, conducted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) in association with state forest departments and the Wildlife Institute of India, was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mysuru as the country completed 50 years of Project Tiger on April 1. A commemorative coin was also issued to mark the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said, “The success of Project Tiger is a matter of pride, not only for India but for the whole world. For wildlife to thrive, it is important for ecosystems to thrive. This is happening in India. India has not only conserved the tiger but has also given them an ecosystem to flourish. India is a country where protecting nature is a part of the culture. This is why it has many unique achievements in wildlife conservation. With only 2.4 percent of the world's land area, India contributes to about 8 percent of the known global diversity.” He also credited the coexistence between ecology and economy for the increase in the numbers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve in Karnataka.

Project Tiger was launched in 1973 to protect the big cat and ensure its long-term survival. It remains, till date, the largest species conservation initiative of its kind in the world. Initially, the project covered nine tiger reserves in the country. Today, there are 53 - the Ranipur Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh being the latest one to make the list in 2022. It is also a major source of employment for locals living around these forests and plays a crucial role in funding eco-development activities.

In 2006, when the survey was first conducted, the country only had 1,411 tigers. Since then, their population has grown significantly. Their numbers rose to 1,706 in 2010 and 2,226 in 2014. The last census, out in 2018, had recorded 2,967 tigers in the country. Madhya Pradesh topped the list with 526 tigers, and Karnataka followed with 534 striped cats.

Incidentally, India, as a part of a 2010 agreement with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russian Federation, Thailand, and Vietnam, was expected to double the tiger count in the country by 2022. It reached the figure in 2018 itself. The success of Project Tiger also put India on the global map when it comes to wildlife conservation and made the country home to more than 70 percent of the global tiger population.

Also read: 50 years of Project Tiger | Remembering Kailash Sankhala, first director of Project Tiger

Technology and better protections have resulted in poaching reducing substantially, but it remains a threat, along with habitat fragmentation and degradation. It’s why Project Tiger’s goal for the next 50 years is to maintain a viable and sustainable tiger population in their habitats, bring potential tiger habitats under the conservation programme, actively manage tiger reserves based on their capacity, and strike a balance between development and conservation activities.

In Mysuru, the PM also launched the International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA), which will focus on protecting and conserving seven major big cats of the world - tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar and cheetah. It also calls for a full stop to poaching and illegal wildlife trade in India.

Also read: 50 years of Project Tiger: Spotting tigers on a jeep safari inside Corbett National Park