Lok Sabha Question No. 1891 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2017-12-29
Subject: Increase in Tiger Population
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: BALASUBRAMANIAM SENGUTTUVAN

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

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1891 TO BE ANSWERED ON 29.12.2017

## Increase in Tiger Population

## 1891.  SHRI B. SENGUTTUVAN:

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

- (a) whether the overall tiger population in India has really gone up in the past few years and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether fool-proof methods and scientific techniques were adopted for the counting of tiger population in the country and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the population of tigers increased in all the regions and wildlife parks in the country, if  so,  the  details  thereof  and  if  not,  areas  or  wildlife  parks  where  the  tiger  population  has actually decreased;
- (d) whether  the  sub-species  of  tiger,  the  Royal  Bengal  Tiger  has  increased  in  population  or decreased and if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether in the period between 2015-16 poaching claimed the lives of nearly hundreds of tigers and if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (DR. MAHESH SHARMA)

- (a) The country level tiger estimation using the refined methodology is done once in four years. 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 current method used for tiger estimation is a refinement over the 2006 and 2010 exercise, wherein  robust  spatially  explicit  capture  recapture  protocols  using  joint  models  have  been employed.  The method is peer reviewed in both national and international fora and has been published in international scientific journal.  This national assessment has been conducted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority in collaboration with the State Forest Departments, Wildlife Institute of India and National level Non Governmental Organisations.
- (c) The details of tiger estimation pertaining to tiger landscapes in the country for the years 2010 and 2014 depicting status viz. increase, decrease or stable number, are at Annexure-I . The tiger reserve-wise estimation of population of tigers, done for the first time in year 2014 is at Annexure-II .
- (d) The species found in India is Royal Bengal Tiger ( Panthera tigris )  only.    Details  have been given in reply to above questions.
- (e) During year 2015-16, a total of 100 tiger deaths were reported by the States out of which 23 cases were because of poaching including seizures.

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## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (c) OF THE UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1891 ON INCREASE IN TIGER POPULATION DUE FOR REPLY ON 29.12.2017

## 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                     |

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## ANNEXURE-II

## ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (c) OF THE UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1891 ON INCREASE IN TIGER POPULATION DUE FOR REPLY ON 29.12.2017

## 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.

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