This post was prompted by a suggestion from Jyoti Sachan

Tiger,our national animal is in dire straits. The spectre of disappearance of tiger is on the horizon. Unless we get down to the business of protection on a war footing this spectre is going to materialize.

Over the past century the number of tigers in India has nosedived from an estimated40,000 to less than 2000 now. According to National Tiger Conservation Authority only about 1,400 tigers roam the wilderness in India now. Wildlife Institute of India (WII), India’s premier wildlife institution, estimated only 1,411 tigers in India’s Protected Areas during the course of their survey, with a maximum 1,657 or a minimum of 1,165 tigers, against an estimated 15,000 just two decades ago. This is an abysmal drop by any reckoning. Sariska, a tiger reserve, had no tigers left. Recently an attempt has been made to translocate tigers to this reserve.

Tigers are threatened by a combination of factors. Some of the key factors include poaching, shrinking prey base, habitat loss, and loss of corridors between habitats. Retaliatory killing of tigers for preying on cattle or attacking humans is another source of worry. The thriving clandestine international market for illegal tiger parts are another area of concern.

The WII report says that there are only 4 healthy tiger landscapes in India, which can ensure long term sustenance of the tiger.

NE Hillslandscape

NE Hills landscape and the Brahmaputra plains currently report tiger occupancy in 4230 sq km of forests and supports around200 tigers. The forests are fragmented but are connected through the forests of Bhutan. This area can support tigers on a long term basis provided protection is enforced rigidly and landscape connectivity is maintained.

Nagarhole-Madumalai-Bandipur-WaynadLandscape

This region is the best tiger landscape for long term conservation of the tiger population. It harbours 280tigers across 10,800 square kms. This is considered to be the largest population of tigers in India within a single landscape. The landscape connectivity factor has to be borne in mind in any development strategy for the area.

The Central Indian landscape has vast stretches of tiger habitat. An ideal would be to connect it to Eastern Ghat landscape. Political will is an absolute must for this. The Tiger Conservation Authority is working on the proposal.

The Eastern Ghat landscape

The Eastern Ghat complex is constituted by the Srisailam-Nagarjunsagar Tiger Reserve in Andhra Pradeh. The area supports an estimated population of 53 tigers.

Where Have We Failed?

Our conservation strategies have obviously failed. A total revamp is immediately needed.Till the WII report came the officials were claiming a figure of around 4000tigers in India. Was it a case of deliberate fudging? Whatever it is it is time to give it a burial and get down to the business of protecting the remaining tigers.

Community participation has been touted as a cure for the malaise. But is it going to be the panacea for all the ills? Definitely no. Sure, participation by the community in conservation and benefits accruing for the community from conservation is a great driver for conservation. Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala is good example for this. But here also after the initial euphoria chinks have appeared in the programme.

We have scores of report on the tigers now. Millions of Rupees have been spent for tiger conservation (Or is it gone down the drain?). The picture remains very bleak in spite of all these efforts. But there is still light at the end of the tunnel. Research by Dr Ulas Karanth, India’s premier tiger biologist published last year showed that if protected and given sufficient access to abundant prey, tiger populations can quickly recover. According to Dr Karanth India,Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal can sustain nearly twice the number of tigers they currently support if adequate conservation measures are deployed.

In spite of all the money that has been spent for tiger conservation and talk about community participation, we have not taken protection in the wildlife reserves seriously. This is the most crucial area that should have been tackled on a war footing. Our protected areas are often manned by men past their prime who see the job as just another in their routine postings. They don’t have the drive and initiative that is needed for wildlife protection. What we need is men who are passionate about conservation, men who love wildlife and outdoors, men who are prepared to go that extra mile to protect what has been entrusted to them. Unless we build a team of committed youngsters with that overwhelming desire to protect within the ambit of forest department there is no hope for tigers. Pumping in money for conservation and making noises during wildlife week celebrations will not deliver the goods.