The overall increase in population doesn’t indicate that all is well on the tiger conservation front; serious efforts are needed for tiger population recovery
Tigers (Panthera tigris) are one of India's most iconic and charismatic species, known for their majestic presence in the wild. It has 53 tiger reserves covering an area of 75,796 sq. km and houses nearly 70% of the world's wild tiger population. Prime Minister’s message in the Status of Tiger 2022 Report by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) quotes from Mahabharat: “Nirvano vadhyate vyaaghro, nirvyaaghram chainplate venom” which means ‘If there is no forest, then the tiger gets killed; if there is no tiger, then the forest gets destroyed.”
The total estimated tiger population in India increased from 2,967 in 2018 to 3,167 in 2022 with a 24.5% increase in the Shivalik Hills & Gangetic Plains, 12.4% in Central Indian Highlands & Eastern Ghats, and 11.4% in North Eastern Hills & Brahmaputra Plains landscape while the Sunderbans and Western Ghats Landscapes recorded a decrease of 12% and 16%.
Tigers with remarkable adaptability expanded into new areas in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. This expansion signifies positive progress, but the conservation scenario in many regions is disturbing. Local tiger populations have become extinct in areas like Sri Venkateswara National Park of Andhra Pradesh, as also in Kawal Tiger Reserve of Telangana, Satkosia of Odisha, and Sahyadri of Maharashtra. The states of Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh require serious conservation efforts for tiger population recovery. The small and genetically unique population of tigers in Simlipal of Odisha requires prioritized conservation inputs.
The biodiversity-rich protected areas within the Western Ghats as also in adjacent areas show a reduction in tiger population with decreases reported in the Wayanad landscape of Kerala, BR Hills of Karnataka, and border regions of Goa and Karnataka. Other regions like Sharavathi of UP and Mookambika and Bhadra of Karnataka also show substantial tiger occupancy declines. Although the Periyar landscape’s population is stable, tiger occupancy has gone down outside of Periyar. In Kanyakumari and Srivilliputhur one notices local extinctions of tiger populations. The landscape of North Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra remains secure but the Sundarbans landscape, a mangrove ecosystem, shows a decline. Since tigers’ presence in a forest indicates a thriving ecosystem, declines in their population and extinctions are a matter of extremely serious concern.
The overall increase in population at the national level doesn’t indicate that all is well on the tiger conservation front in India. Central Indian landscape witnesses the highest level of conflict between tigers and humans. The high tide of development in the western Ghat region has resulted in increased habitat destruction and even conflicts. Deforestation caused by encroachment, land-use changes, and infrastructures has fragmented forests and damaged wildlife corridors in many areas causing hindrances to wildlife movement. In addition, unregulated grazing, over-harvesting of minor forest produce, forest fires, illegal hunting, defaunation, exotic species plantations, and climate change implications have increased the instances and impacts of human-wildlife conflict.
The conflicts translate into cattle kills, human kills, and tiger kills by revenge-triggered poisoning and poaching with the lucrative trade in tiger body parts also contributing in a major way. Apart from the area-specific sociocultural, socioeconomic, and socioecological aspects leading to conflicts; politics before and after is all-pervasive. In 2021-22 the number of humans killed by tigers was 31 while the number of tiger deaths was 110 and 13 tigers were captured.
Some recently legislated statutory instruments are likely to make the threats more intense. The free and unlimited access to minor forest produce collection due to non-specification of its ‘extent’ in the community right titles recognized by District Level Committees (DLCs) under the Forest Rights Act 2006 (FRA) coupled with the considerably scattered pockmarks of agriculture regularized inside forests add to the frequency of human and wildlife interaction.
Many DLCs, violating primarily sections 3(1)(i) and 4(3) of the Act, have illegally granted management rights over tiger reserve areas to Gram Sabhas. Notable ones are 5,544 ha. in the Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh; 781 ha. in the Navegaon Nagzira sanctuary of Maharashtra; 12,527 ha. to 10 villages in core and buffer areas of Achanakmar and Sitanadi Udanti of Chhattisgarh; and sizeable areas of Tansa and Biligiri of Maharashtra and Karnataka respectively. Rights are granted similarly outside the national parks and sanctuaries (PAs) also that sustain tigers and their prey base populations. Ironically, not a single ‘critical wildlife habitat’ has been declared despite FRA providing for the same.
The decriminalization of offences like cattle trespass, and bamboo felling in the reserved forest by excluding it from tree’s definition under the Indian Forest Act 1927 are going to impact habitats adversely and increase human-wildlife interaction. The proposed relaxations and exclusion of areas by Forest Conservation Bill 2023 are going to increase the potential, area coverage, and implications of human-tiger conflict.
While we cannot depend on selected pockets showing growth in populations today, the current trend calls for urgent action to restore populations and prevent the extinction of small tiger populations. With tigers getting extinct, the entire ecosystem would suffer a domino effect. The conservation efforts must include restoration of habitats, increasing ungulate populations, and planned reintroduction of tigers in zero to low-density areas along with well-designed strategies to contain human-tiger conflict. Unplanned reintroductions and habitat modifications must be avoided as they may raise tiger populations but force tigers into human-dominated landscapes. Measures such as eco-friendly construction techniques, mitigation structures, lower mining impacts, and rehabilitation of mining sites will reduce conflicts in all areas. Keeping wildlife corridors functional by creating conservation reserves and community reserves will allow gene flow between tiger populations ensuring their long-term survival.
Tigers must get more and relatively inviolate spaces to survive. Improving the stakes of local people in the long-term sustenance of forests and wildlife can make this happen. Locals will prefer tiger conservation if they can relate the reduction in crop depredation to the control of ungulate populations by tigers. Eco-tourism is another definite way to unlock regular and substantial cash flows in local people’s favour. A profitable engagement as stakeholders with tour operators and hoteliers will make them support tigers.
Simultaneously, sustainable benefits from the collection, value addition and marketing of minor forest produce like mahua flowers, seeds, barks, leaves etc. from non-PAs will support forest conservation. Carbon financing for cultivating trees on their fragmented agricultural patches having poor productivity promises yet another opportunity to create a win-win situation for people as well as habitats. Appropriate statutory and financial support, stronger but sensitive enforcement agencies, timely compensations, and changing conclusively the mindset of ‘Your tiger killed my cattle’ will enable India to write a better future for tigers and the ecological treasures they represent.
(The writers are former IFS officers and Principal Chief Conservator of Forests)
