Counting the Tigers

Why in news?

The tiger census found that the tiger count in at least two of Assam’s four reserves has registered a growth.

Where the survey was conducted?

The survey has been conducted in four tiger reserves in Assam:

1. Manas National park
2. Orang national park
3. Kaziranga national park
4. Nameri national park

What are the key findings of the survey?

• Manas National Park has recorded the presence of 30 tigers,
• Orang National Park has put the figure at 28.
• Kaziranga National Park is expected to cross the 140-mark.
• There is a big jump from 14 from the last survey.

How does Ministry of Environment and Forest count the tigers?

• Counting of tigers in India is done in three phases. This method was created by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) & Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun & is being followed uniformly across the country.
• Phase 1: Ground survey data at the beat level was collected by field personnel in a standardized protocol after training.
• Phase 2: Statistical and satellite data were analysed by the Wildlife Institute of India in collaboration with the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
• Phase 3: The camera trapping procedure was conducted by research biologists.
• Then through a mathematical model, statistical computation is done so as to check & balance all the errors in the three phases by comparing various figures obtained during the 3 phases.
• Then by statistical computation, the ground survey data, Habitat Character Data & Relationship Equation (Tiger Density to Habitat Characters and Ground Survey) is computed together. This gives us the estimation of Tiger Population.

What are the steps taken globally for tiger conservation?

• There is a consortium known as The Tiger Range Countries (TRC) there are the countries where tigers still roam free.
• The TRCare: Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, Vietnam and North-Korea.
• Last year India Inaugurated Tiger conservation Summit for the TRC.
• More than 700 tiger experts, scientists, managers, donors and other stakeholders participated in the summit and discussed the issues related to tiger conservation.

Source: Indian Express