But more forest cover must to sustain the big cat
The revival of India's tiger population is a huge success story for conservation efforts in the country. But to sustain this momentum, greater attention on dramatically increasing the country’s forest cover is necessary. This may seem like a tall order, but it is possible. Only last year, the Government announced that India's forest cover had grown, if only marginally.
For now, the reported 30 per cent rise in tiger population — from a median estimate of 1,706 tigers in 2010 to 2,226 now — is being attributed to better forest management practices, especially the rehabilitation of humans previously settled inside core tiger areas. These efforts have gained steam since 2010, and in the past four years have helped make tiger habitats largely inviolate. However, as the Sunderbans stands proof, the tiger population will stagnate unless more areas are brought under forest cover.
This may be easier said than done, given the continued rise of population pressures as well as the competing demands of economic development. No matter how much we talk of sustainable development, at the end of the day, we cannot wish away the fact that there is only a finite amount of land and resources. Having said that, there should be no two ways around the fact that, even within the existing paradigms and challenges, there's a lot more that can be done.
For one, there has to be better implementation of green laws: When trees have to be cut down to build factories and hotels, the law, for example, usually restricts the number of trees that can be felled and requires a comparable number to be planted elsewhere. Unfortunately, these rules are largely followed in the breach. Another important issue here is that of forest corridors which connect different reserves and protected areas. These are crucial to sustaining healthy populations (not just of tigers but also elephants and other wildlife). But most of India's forest corridors are degraded and, without immediate attention, will only serve as death traps for man and animal alike. A third recommendation for sustaining the growth in tiger population is improving the quality and quantity of prey — which is currently under much pressure from human population.
Finally, even as we look at new ways and means to increase the tiger population, we cannot afford to give up on the basics of forest management and conservation that helped us script today's success story in the first place. This means, first and foremost, that we must not lower our guard in protecting tiger reserves and wildlife sanctuaries — poachers must be given strict and prompt punishment, forest officials need to be better equipped to tackle poachers, and there has to be added emphasis on integrating local communities into the Government’s conservation efforts. India cannot allow the gains made in this regard to be reversed. As home to the world's largest tiger population, India owes this not just to itself but also to the rest of the world.