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2023 7:46PM by PIB Delhi The year 2023 holds special significance for
conservation community and for the National Tiger Conservation Authority
(NTCA), a statutory body under Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate
Change, as several conservation milestones were achieved during the current
year. Project Tiger completes 50 years:- The Centrally Sponsored Scheme –
Project Tiger that has put the endangered wild tigers of India on assured path
of recovery has completed 50 years of successful implementation. A
commemorative event “Commemoration of 50 years of Project Tiger” was
inaugurated by Hon'ble Prime Minister of India in Mysuru, Karnataka on 9th
April 2023. The Prime Minister also released the publications \- ‘Amrit Kaal
Ka Vision For Tiger Conservation’, a summary report of the 5th cycle of
Management Effectiveness Evaluation of Tiger Reserves, summary report of All
India Tiger Estimation (5th cycle) and declared tiger numbers. He also
released a commemorative coin on the completion of 50 years of Project Tiger.
India is now home to more than 70% of world's wild tigers:- As per the 5th
cycle of All India Tiger Estimation 2022 summary report released by Hon'ble
Prime Minister of India during Project Tiger’s commemorative event, India has
a minimum of 3167 tigers and now is home to more than 70% of wild tiger
population of the world. Further data analysis using latest statistical models
for camera-trapped and non-camera-trapped tiger presence areas, the upper
limit of the tiger population is estimated to be 3925 and the average number
is 3682 tigers, reflecting a commendable annual growth rate of 6.1% per annum.
This remarkable conservation feat has been achieved due to the pioneering
initiatives undertaken by the National Tiger Conservation Authority,
Government of India in collaboration with State Governments. Launch of
International Big Cats Alliance (IBCA):- During the commemorative program, the
Hon’ble Prime Minister launched the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) for
conservation of seven big cats namely Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard,
Cheetah, Jaguar and Puma that inhabit our planet. The alliance aims to reach
out to range countries covering the natural habitats of Tiger, Lion, Snow
Leopard, Puma, Jaguar, and Cheetah. IBCA would further strengthen global
cooperation and efforts to conserve the wild denizens, especially the big
cats. Amrit Kaal Ka Vision For Tiger Conservation:- Released by the Prime
Minister during the commemorative event, the vision plan aims to sustain
tigers for posterity while preserving tangible and intangible gains derived
from tiger reserves through landscape level planning, sectoral integration and
convergence. Successful reintroduction of cheetah :- Cheetah is the only large
carnivore that has been extirpated in India over historical times. A project
to bring back Cheetah by way of introduction has been launched. As part of the
project, consultative bilateral meetings and negotiations were held with
Republic of Namibia and Republic of South Africa. The bilateral negotiations
culminated with signing of MoUs with Republic of Namibia and Republic of South
Africa on 20th July 2022 and 17th January 2023 respectively. These MoUs
facilitate biodiversity conservation with specific focus on conservation and
restoration of cheetah in their former range areas from which they went
extinct. Following the signing of MoU with Republic of Namibia, a first of
batch eight cheetahs have been successfully translocated from Namibia to Kuno
National Park and on 17th September 2022, the cheetahs were released into
quarantine enclosure by the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India. Under the
provisions of the MoU signed with South Africa,12 Cheetahs (7 males, 5
females) were translocated from South Africa to Kuno National Park, Madhya
Pradesh, India on 18th February 2023. As per the Action Plan, work is under
progress at Gandhi Sagar Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh for establishing
the second home for cheetah meta population. At present there are 15 Cheetah
in Kuno including a cub borne on the Indian soil. More cheetahs are to be
imported soon for introduction in Gandhisagar Wildlife Sanctuary. Cheetah
interpretation centre, training centre, museum, research centre and safari are
being planned at Sesaipura near Kuno. Further, a conservation breeding program
of cheetahs in Banni grasslands of Gujarat has also been approved. Management
Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of Tiger Reserves:- In order to assess the
management effectiveness of tiger reserves, the NTCA has been undertaking
"Management Effective Evaluation" (MEE) at an interval of 4 years. Adopted
from the framework of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and
Natural Resources (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas, Management
Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) has emerged as the most important tool to
assist and improve the management perspectives of Tiger Reserves and their
associated landscape connectivity. The 5th cycle of MEE was carried out during
2022 for 51 tiger reserves the report was released during the ‘Global Tiger
Day Event 2023’ in Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand on 29th July 2023. A
total of 12 Tiger Reserves have achieved ‘Excellent ’ category, followed by 21
Tiger Reserves in ‘Very Good’ category, 13 Tiger Reserves in ‘Good ’ category
and 5 Tiger Reserves in ‘Fair ’ category. Reintroduction of tigers :- As a
part of active management to rebuild wild tiger population in tiger reserves
where tigers became locally extinct recently, the initiative of tiger
reintroduction has been undertaken. Under this active management initiative,
tigers have been re-introduced in the western part of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve
(Uttarakhand), Madhav National Park (Madhya Pradesh), Mukundra Hills Tiger
Reserve and Ramgarh Vishdhari (Rajasthan). Efforts are on to reintroduce
tigers in the Buxa Tiger Reserve soon. Declaration of new Tiger Reserves:-
With declaration of new tiger reserve “Rani Durgavati" in Madhya Pradesh, the
total number of tiger reserves in the county has gone up to 54 with more than
78,000 Square KM area and covers more than 2.30% of geographical area of
India. Conservation Assured' Tiger Standards (CA|TS) accreditation of Tiger
Reserves in India:- Conservation Assured) Tiger Standards (CA|TS) is a set of
criteria which allows tiger sites to check if their management will lead to
successful tiger conservation as per the international standards. In the
current year, six tiger reserves namely Kali, Melghat, Navegaon – Nagzira,
Pilibhit and Periyar have been awarded with CA|TS accreditation. So far a
total of 23 tiger reserves of India have received CA|TS accreditation.
Bilateral co-operation with Tiger Range Countries: - For fostering
transboundary conservation of tigers across India and Bangladesh in Sundarban
landscape, a bilateral meeting was held on 14 th February 2023 at Kolkata,
West Bengal. For promoting tiger conservation in Cambodia, both India and
Cambodia have signed a MoU on "Cooperation in biodiversity conservation and
sustainable wildlife management recovery strategy of tiger and its habitat".
As part of bilateral initiative, the Indian delegation visited Cambodia for
assessing the field situation and the capacity building requirements for tiger
reintroduction initiative in Cambodia. International award to tiger reserves:-
During 2022-23, Pench Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh) and Pench Tiger Reserve
(Maharashtra) jointly and Satpura Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh) have been