Lok Sabha Question No. 3676 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-08-08
Subject: Tiger Population
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: RAVINDRA KUSHAWAHA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3676

TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.08.2017

## Tiger Population

## 3676.  SHRI RAVINDER KUSHAWAHA:

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether there has been an increase in the number of tigers in the country recently;
- (b) if so, the number of tigers during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UTwise; and
- (c) whether effective steps have been taken/proposed to be taken for conservation of tigers and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR  ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

- (a) As  per  the  assessment  of  the  Status  of  Tigers,  Co-predators  and  Prey,  2014  using  the refined  methodology,  the  tiger  number  has  shown  30%  increase  countrywide  with  an estimated  number  of  2226  (range  1945-2491)  as  compared  to  2010  estimation  of  1706 (range 1520-1909 tigers).
- (b) The  country  level  tiger  estimation  using  the  refined  methodology  is  done  once  in  four years.  The details of tiger estimation pertaining to tiger landscapes in the country for the years 2010 and 2014 are at Annexure-I .
- (c) Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger, funding assistance is provided to the tiger reserves, based on their Annual Plan of Operations for various activities which inter alia include  anti-poaching  measures,  habitat  development,  staff  welfare,  ecodevelopment etc.

Besides, Government of India, through Project Tiger / National Tiger Conservation Authority, has taken a number of initiatives towards tiger conservation, which has resulted in substantial growth in tiger number. These, inter alia, include creation of Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF),  All India Tiger, Co-Predators  and Prey Estimation  and Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of Tiger Reserves done once in every four years,  implementation  of  a  Standard  Operating  Procedure  (SOP)  for  dealing  with  tiger deaths, straying of tigers, active management towards rehabilitation of tigers from source areas at landscape level and other aspects, e-surveillance project in some of the identified tiger  reserves  and  intensification  of  international  cooperation  to  control  trans-boundary illegal trade in wildlife etc.

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## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF THE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3676 ON TIGER POPULATION DUE FOR REPLY ON 08.08.2017

## Details of tiger estimation pertaining to tiger landscapes in the country, for the years 2010 and 2014

|                                                                      | Tiger Population   | Tiger Population   |                              |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------------|--------------------|------------------------------|
| State                                                                | 2010               | 2014               | Increase / Decrease / Stable |
| Shivalik-Gangetic Plain Landscape Complex                            |                    |                    |                              |
| Uttarakhand                                                          | 227 (199-256)      | 340                | Increase                     |
| Uttar Pradesh                                                        | 118 (113-124)      | 117                | Stable                       |
| Bihar                                                                | 8 (-)              | 28                 | Increase                     |
| Shivalik Gangetic                                                    | 353 (320-388)      | 485 (427-543)      | Increase                     |
| Central Indian Landscape Complex and Eastern Ghats Landscape Complex |                    |                    |                              |
| Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana)                                 | 72 (65-79)         | 68                 | Stable                       |
| Chhattisgarh                                                         | 26 (24-27)         | 46                 | Increase                     |
| Madhya Pradesh                                                       | 257 (213-301)      | 308                | Increase                     |
| Maharashtra                                                          | 169 (155-183)      | 190                | Increase                     |
| Odisha                                                               | 32 (20-44)         | 28                 | Stable                       |
| Rajasthan                                                            | 36 (35-37)         | 45                 | Increase                     |
| Jharkhand                                                            | 10 (6-14)          | 3+                 | Decrease*                    |
| Central India                                                        | 601 (518-685)      | 688 (596-780)      | Increase                     |
| Western Ghats Landscape Complex                                      |                    |                    |                              |
| Karnataka                                                            | 300 (280-320)      | 406                | Increase                     |
| Kerala                                                               | 71 (67-75)         | 136                | Increase                     |
| Tamil Nadu                                                           | 163 (153-173)      | 229                | Increase                     |
| Goa                                                                  | -                  | 5                  | Increase                     |
| Western Ghats                                                        | 534 (500-568)      | 776 (685-861)      | Increase                     |
| North Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra Flood Plains                     |                    |                    |                              |
| Assam                                                                | 143 (113-173)      | 167                | Increase                     |
| Arunachal Pradesh                                                    | -                  | 28 ♣               | Increase                     |
| Mizoram                                                              | 5                  | 3+                 | Stable                       |
| North West Bengal                                                    | -                  | 3                  | **                           |
| North East Hills, and Brahmaputra                                    | 148 (118-178)      | 201 (174-212)      | Increase                     |
| Sunderbans                                                           | 70 (64-90)         | 76 (92-96)         | Stable                       |
| TOTAL                                                                | 1706 (1520-1909)   | 2226 (1945-2491)   | Increase                     |

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