Introduction to Tiger Conservation in India
India has the world’s largest population of wild tigers, with more than 3,600 individuals, making up about 75% of the global wild tiger population. According to the 2023 All-India Tiger estimation report, these tigers inhabit an area of 138,200 square kilometers. The Indian Prime Minister has emphasized the "responsibility to do even more to protect the tiger and other animals". Despite healthy numbers, the stabilization and securing of the future of tigers requires constant and complex effort.
Why are Tigers still at Risk?
The design, expansion of agricultural, urbanization, and infrastructure projects have increasingly fragmented tiger habitats. As a result, continuous tiger habitats were divided into smaller spots, which affects their movement, breeding, and the availability of prey. It is not only the size of habitats but also their quality that restricts the survival and recovery of tigers. The guarantee of prey-rich, well-managed, and protected habitats is of crucial importance. India has distributed 58 tiger reserves in 18 states, but the fragmentation of tiger habitats in areas where forests overlap with expanding settlements, agriculture, and infrastructure corridors has become serious.
Fragmentation Denied Years of Tiger Recovery
Prominent corridors, such as the Sariska Tiger Reserve in western Rajasthan, are being threatened by government plans to clear up concerns about mining operations near Sariska. This change is intended to facilitate the reopening of more than 50 mines that were previously closed due to their proximity to core tiger habitats. The proposed plan to re-draw the borders of the Sariska Tiger Reserve would remove more than 4,800 hectares from the critical tiger habitat, threatening important wildlife corridors that are decisive for tiger movement, seasonal refuge, and territorial establishment.
Threats to Bengal Tigers
The Sundarban’s mangrove forest, which is one of the largest reserves for the Bengal tiger, is being destroyed by rising sea levels and coastal erosion. This natural habitat of the tigers is under threat, and the tigers are at risk of losing their home. India has monitored the distribution and abundance of tigers every four years since 2006 and has used modern techniques such as camera-trapping, genetic analysis, and surveillance systems to support effective patrol, evaluate ecological status, and alleviate human-tiger conflicts in and around tiger reserves.
Increasing Conflict between Humans and Wildlife
Tiger habitats in several states are affected by ongoing armed uprisings, and according to a study published in Science, these are areas where tigers could recover with greater political stability. However, they have died out or are missing in areas with a legacy of extensive bushmeat consumption or commercial poaching, even if human density is relatively low. It is not just human density but also their attitudes and lifestyles that determine the suitability for tiger recovery. The introduction of integrative and sustainable rural prosperity instead of intensive land use and economy can be conducive to tiger recovery.
Hidden Dangers Behind Emerging Tiger Numbers
There is a hidden danger behind the emerging number of tigers. In a healthy tiger landscape, the ideal gender relationship should be one adult male for two to three adult females. However, in many tiger reserves, especially Ranthambhore, the relationship between males and females is near 1:1, with the same number of adult males and females. In some areas, the male numbers are even higher. This imbalance happens due to limited space, fragmented corridors, and tourism pressure. Conservation is no longer just about saving a species; it is about saving their way of life. If we ignore gender relationships and territorial needs, we may have tigers in numbers, but not in balance. A forest full of conflicts is not a healthy forest.
