Lok Sabha Question No. 479 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-06
Subject: Relocation of Tigers
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: Anto  Antony, Ramya  Haridas

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 479

TO BE ANSWERED ON  06.02.2023

## Relocation of Tigers

## 479. SHRI ANTO ANTONY:

## MS. RAMYA HARIDAS:

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

- (a) whether the Government has any data regarding total number of tigers in the country, if so, the details thereof including the last date of census was taken;
- (b) whether the Government has any scheme to relocate tigers from one forest to another, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has received any request from the Government of Kerala regarding relocation of tigers from forests in Wayanad district of Kerala;
- (d) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government in this regards;
- (e) whether any special scheme is being implemented by the Government for the conservation of tigers in the State of Kerala;
- (f) if so, the details thereof along with the funds being provided to Kerala under this scheme; and
- (g) the  details  of  the  efforts  being  made  to  increase  funds  as  the  State  Governments  require more funds for tiger conservation projects?

## ANSWER

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

(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

- (a) The  quadrennial  All  India  Tiger  Estimation  Exercise  which  assesses  the  Status  of Tigers, Co-predators and Prey using robust scientific methodology, has shown that the  tiger  number  has  increased  as  per  the  latest  estimation  done  in  2018,  with  an estimated  number  of  2967  (range  2603-3346)  as  compared  to  2014  estimation  of 2226  (range  1945-2491).    As  per  the  quadrennial  All  India  Tiger  Estimation,  the details of tiger estimation 2018 are at Annexure-I.
- (b) The  Government  of  India  through  the  National  Tiger  Conservation  Authority (NTCA)  promotes  management  interventions  to  ensure  habitat  connectivity  for sustaining  natural  dispersal  of  tigers.    Further,  relocation  of  tigers  is  done  as  per ''Protocol of Re-introduction'' and Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for active management towards  rehabilitation  of  tigers  from  source  areas  at  landscape  level, issued by the NTCA.
- (c) No, Sir.
- (d) Question does not arise.
- (e), (f) & (g) Funding  assistance  is  provided  under  the  ongoing  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  of Project  Tiger  to  tiger  range  States,  including  Kerala,  for  conservation  of  tigers, raising  awareness  on  tiger  &  other  wildlife  conservation,  habitat  management, protection, eco-development, human  resource and infrastructure development, voluntary village relocation, as per sanctioned Annual Plan of Operation of the Tiger Reserve  and  Utilisation  Certificate  duly  submitted  by  the  State  Government.  The details  of  funds  released  to  the  State  Government  of  Kerala  under  the  ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger during last three years and the current financial year are as under:-

(Amount in Rs. Lakhs)

|   Sl. No. | Tiger Reserve   | State   |   2019-20 |   2020-21 |   2021-22 |   2022-23 (1 st Installment) (as on 31.1.2023) |
|-----------|-----------------|---------|-----------|-----------|-----------|------------------------------------------------|
|         1 | Periyar         | Kerala  |    331.24 |    212.19 |    488.89 |                                         118.88 |
|         2 | Parambikulam    | Kerala  |    275.83 |    190.69 |    379.9  |                                          84.37 |

Besides  Project  Tiger,  the  State  Governments  also  utilize  resources  from Tiger  Conservation  Foundations,  Compensatory  Afforestation  Fund  Management and Planning Authority and State Sector Schemes.

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## ANNEXURE  REFERRED  TO  IN  REPLY  TO  PART  (a)  OF  THE  LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 479 ON RELOCATION OF TIGERS DUE FOR REPLY ON 06.02.2023

## Details of tiger estimation pertaining to tiger landscapes in the country, 2018

| State                                                                | Tiger Population 2018                                                |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Shivalik-Gangetic Plain Landscape Complex                            | Shivalik-Gangetic Plain Landscape Complex                            |
| Uttarakhand                                                          | 442                                                                  |
| Uttar Pradesh                                                        | 173                                                                  |
| Bihar                                                                | 31                                                                   |
| Shivalik Gangetic                                                    | 646                                                                  |
| Central Indian Landscape Complex and Eastern Ghats Landscape Complex | Central Indian Landscape Complex and Eastern Ghats Landscape Complex |
| Andhra Pradesh                                                       | 48                                                                   |
| Telangana                                                            | 26                                                                   |
| Chhattisgarh                                                         | 19                                                                   |
| Madhya Pradesh                                                       | 526                                                                  |
| Maharashtra                                                          | 312                                                                  |
| Odisha                                                               | 28                                                                   |
| Rajasthan                                                            | 69                                                                   |
| Jharkhand                                                            | 5                                                                    |
| Central India                                                        | 1033                                                                 |
| Western Ghats Landscape Complex                                      | Western Ghats Landscape Complex                                      |
| Karnataka                                                            | 524                                                                  |
| Kerala                                                               | 190                                                                  |
| Tamil Nadu                                                           | 264                                                                  |
| Goa                                                                  | 3                                                                    |
| Western Ghats                                                        | 981                                                                  |
| North Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra Flood Plains                     | North Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra Flood Plains                     |
| Assam                                                                | 190                                                                  |
| Arunachal Pradesh                                                    | 29                                                                   |
| North East Hills, and Brahmaputra                                    | 219                                                                  |
| Sunderbans                                                           | 88                                                                   |
| TOTAL                                                                | 2967                                                                 |

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