Why is it in news?

India’s tiger census, which began late last year, will see coordination with Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh in estimating the territorial spread of the animal in the subcontinent. It also promises to be more high tech, more accurate and precise.

Details

• The Tiger Estimation exercise is the world’s largest wildlife survey effort in terms of coverage, intensity of sampling and quantum of camera trapping.  An amount of Rs. 10.22 crore will be invested by the Government in the fourth cycle of All India Tiger Estimation.  Financial assistance to the tune of Rs. 7 crore will be provided to the States through the ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger.
• A robust Phase IV monitoring protocol is in place to assess tigers annually, which has been archived in National Repository of Camera Trap photographs of tigers.  It helps Field Directors to have prior knowledge about resident tigers.  This process is complemented by the quadrennial All India Tiger Estimation.  The Government and NTCA have also carried out an economic valuation of tigers in mitigating the adverse impact of climate change.  Such interventions and processes have been operationalised through a legally mandated Tiger Conservation Plan to ensure that it is institutionalized.
• India conducts the All India Tiger Estimation every four years.  Three cycles of the estimation have already been completed in 2006, 2010 and 2014.   These estimates showed estimates of 1, 411, 1, 706 and 2, 226 tigers respectively.  The methodology has remained the same in the three cycles in terms of concept, but latest scientific developments in the field of animal abundance estimation have been incorporated and the best available science to evaluate tiger status has been used.
• While India has engaged with Nepal and Bangladesh in previous tiger counts, this is the first time all countries are uniting in arriving at tiger numbers, particularly in regions with shared borders.
• Since 2006, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) — a Union Environment Ministry-funded body — has been tasked with coordinating the tiger estimation exercise.
• The ₹10 crore exercise this year involves 40,000 forest guards traversing 4,00,000 sq. km. of forests; wildlife biologists independently assessing them; approximately a year’s duration of field work; 14,000 camera traps; and coordination with 18 States. Along with tigers, the survey also collects information on the prey population of deer and other animals.

Source

PIB, The Hindu