Lok Sabha Question No. 1228 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-22
Subject: Protection/Conservation of Tigers
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: GOWDAR MALLIKARJUNAPPA SIDDESHWARA

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1228

TO BE ANSWERED ON 22.12.2017

## Protection/Conservation of Tigers

## 1228.  SHRI G.M. SIDDESHWARA:

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

- (a) whether the Global Tiger Forum (GTF) has proposed India's robust tiger estimation method to South-east Asian countries to boost tiger population and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) the population of tigers in various reserve forests in the country during each of the last three years, sanctuary-wise;
- (c) the  measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  conserve  and  protect  the  tigers  in  various  forest reserves; and
- (d) the steps taken to involve NGOs and experts in boosting the wild animal population?

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE

## ANSWER CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

- (a) The Global Tiger Forum (GTF) has circulated protocols for monitoring habitat quality and wildlife  populations  in  tiger  landscapes  to  all  tiger  range  countries,  besides  technical guidelines  for  habitat,  prey  and  tiger  recovery  across  tiger  range  countries,  based  on protocol  being  followed  by  the  Government  of  India  /  National  Tiger  Conservation Authority.
- (b) 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). 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 . The population of tigers, reserve-wise, is at Annexure-II .
- (c) Measures  taken  by  the  Government  to  conserve  and  protect  the  tigers  in  various  tiger reserves / forest reserves, consist of legal steps, administrative steps, Standard Operating Procedures,  security  audit,  Monitoring  system  for  Tigers'  Intensive  Protection  and Ecological  Status  (M-STrIPES)  for  effective  field  patrolling  and  monitoring,  funding assistance under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger to the tiger reserves for various activities which inter  alia include provision for antipoaching operations, village relocation,  man-animal conflict mitigation, intelligence gathering  and legal support etc., and NTCA (Normative Standards for Tourism activities and Project Tiger) Guidelines, 2012.
- (d) NGOs and experts  are  involved  in  different  areas, inter  alia including  All  India  Tiger Estimation, through locale specific projects as per provision of section 38 O (1) (f) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF THE UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  1228  ON  PROTECTION/CONSERVATION  OF  TIGERS  DUE  FOR  REPLY  ON 22.12.2017

## 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                     |

## ANNEXURE-II

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (b) OF THE UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.  1228  ON  PROTECTION/CONSERVATION  OF  TIGERS  DUE  FOR  REPLY  ON 22.12.2017

## Population of tigers, reserve-wise, as per Status of Tigers, Co-predators and Prey in India, 2014

| Tiger Reserve              | State             |   Tiger Population |   Lower SE Limit |   Upper SE Limit |
|----------------------------|-------------------|--------------------|------------------|------------------|
| Achanakmar                 | Chhattisgarh      |                 11 |               10 |               12 |
| Anamalai                   | Tamil Nadu        |                 13 |               11 |               14 |
| Bandhavgarh                | Madhya Pradesh    |                 63 |               55 |               71 |
| Bandipur                   | Karnataka         |                120 |              107 |              134 |
| Bhadra                     | Karnataka         |                 22 |               20 |               25 |
| Biligiri Ranganatha Temple | Karnataka         |                 68 |               60 |               75 |
| Bor                        | Maharashtra       |                  5 |                3 |                6 |
| Buxa*                      | West Bengal       |                  2 |                2 |                2 |
| Corbett                    | Uttarakhand       |                215 |              169 |              261 |
| Dampa*                     | Mizoram           |                  3 |                3 |                3 |
| Dandeli-Anshi              | Karnataka         |                  5 |                3 |                6 |
| Dudhwa                     | Uttar Pradesh     |                 58 |               46 |               69 |
| Indravati                  | Chhattisgarh      |                 12 |               11 |               13 |
| Kalakad Mundanthurai       | Tamil Nadu        |                 10 |                9 |               11 |
| Kanha                      | Madhya Pradesh    |                 80 |               71 |               90 |
| Kaziranga                  | Assam             |                103 |               91 |              115 |
| Manas                      | Assam             |                 11 |                9 |               12 |
| Melghat                    | Maharashtra       |                 25 |               21 |               30 |
| Mudumalai                  | Tamil Nadu        |                 89 |               79 |               99 |
| Nagarahole                 | Karnataka         |                101 |               90 |              113 |
| Nagarjunasagar Srisailam   | Andhra Pradesh    |                 54 |               40 |               67 |
| Namdapha                   | Arunachal Pradesh |                 11 |                5 |               11 |
| Nameri                     | Assam             |                  5 |                4 |                5 |
| Nawegoan-Nagzira           | Maharashtra       |                  7 |                4 |               10 |
| Pakke                      | Arunachal Pradesh |                  7 |                6 |                8 |
| Palamau*                   | Jharkhand         |                  3 |                3 |                3 |
| Panna                      | Madhya Pradesh    |                 17 |               17 |               17 |
| Parambikulam               | Kerala            |                 19 |               17 |               21 |
| Pench                      | Madhya Pradesh    |                 43 |               36 |               49 |
| Pench                      | Maharashtra       |                 35 |               28 |               42 |
| Periyar                    | Kerala            |                 20 |               18 |               22 |
| Pilibhit                   | Uttar Pradesh     |                 25 |               19 |               30 |
| Ranthambhore               | Rajasthan         |                 37 |               30 |               41 |
| Sahyadri*                  | Maharashtra       |                  7 |                7 |                7 |
| Sanjay-Dubri               | Madhya Pradesh    |                  8 |                7 |               10 |
| Sariska                    | Rajasthan         |                  9 |                9 |                9 |
| Sathyamangalam             | Tamil Nadu        |                 72 |               64 |               80 |

| Satkosia        | Odisha         |    3 |    2 |    4 |
|-----------------|----------------|------|------|------|
| Satpura         | Madhya Pradesh |   26 |   22 |   30 |
| Similipal       | Odisha         |   17 |   14 |   19 |
| Sunderban       | West Bengal    |   68 |   57 |   86 |
| Tadoba-Andhari  | Maharashtra    |   51 |   44 |   58 |
| Udanti-Sitanadi | Chhattisgarh   |    4 |    3 |    4 |
| Valmiki         | Bihar          |   22 |   17 |   26 |
| Total           |                | 1586 | 1343 | 1820 |

*  Minimum number of tigers  recorded  through  scat  DNA,  in  these  cases  a  standard  error  on  their estimate was not possible.

***