July 29 celebrated as Global Tiger Day, often called International Tiger Day

Global Tiger Day, often called International Tiger Day, is an annual celebration to raise awareness for tiger conservation, held annually on 29 July. It was created in 2010 at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit.

Hyderabad:Tigers are a part of our planets’ natural heritage; they also have great cultural and historical significance. No doubt they are also crucial for the ecosystems in which they live. We can’t ignore the tigers as they not only protect the forest by maintaining ecological integrity but also they bring the highest levels of protection and investment to an area. Therefore, we call them as “umbrella species".

History of International Tiger Day; It was first celebrated in 2010 and was founded at an international summit that had been called in response to the shocking news that 97% of all the wild tigers have disappeared in the last century, with only around 3,000 left alive.

Tigers are on the brink of extinction and International World Tiger Day aims to bring attention to this fact and try to halt their decline. Many factors have caused their numbers to fall.

Reasons for decline in tiger population of India

The goal of the International Tiger Day is to promote a global system for protecting the natural habitats of tigers and to raise public awareness and support for tiger conservation issues.

India is a habitat of 75% of total tigers on the earth.The trend for the rising population of tigers in India is as follows:

1. 2006 - 1411
2. 2010 - 1706
3. 2014 - 2226
4. 2019 – 2967

According to the census, Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number of tigers that is 526 which is closely followed by Karnataka at 524 and Uttarakhand with 442 tigers remaining at number 3 position. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on International Tiger Day said that "The story that started with Ek Tha Tiger and then continued with Tiger Zinda Hai, should not stop there. It should be baaghon mein bahaar hai".There is a decline in the population of tiger in Chhattisgarh and Mizoram while tiger numbers in Odisha remained constant.

Tiger Population facts from the latest census report:

• The total population of Royal Bengal Tiger in India is 2,967.
• There are 4 States (M.P., Karnataka, Uttrakhand & Maharashtra) with more than 300 Tigers.
• There are 4 States (Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, U.P.) with more than 150 Tigers.
• Total 8 States with more than 100% Increase in Tiger Population as compared to 2006.
• Madhya Pradesh has become the Tiger State of India.
• Buxa, Dampa and Palamau Tiger Reserves do not have a single Tigers now.
• No Tigers were found in Mizoram state.
• Pench National Park in Madhya Pradesh and Periyar National Park in Kerala are the top-rated Tiger Reserves in India.

Which state has the maximum number of Tiger Reserves in India?

Madhya Pradesh is the state with the maximum number of Tiger Reserves in India. There are 6 tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh:-

• Pench Tiger Reserve
• Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
• Kanha Tiger Reserve
• Satpura Tiger Reserve
• Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve
• Panna Tiger Reserve

Measures Govt has taken to protect tiger habitats

• India has taken several measures, including bringing out guidelines for tiger safaris, to reduce the pressure of eco-tourism, protect habitats of the big cats and conserve its population.
• #InternationalTigerDay @NCTAtiger issues advisories to deal with the emergent situation of tiger & sympatric species mortality due to electrocution in tiger reserves; strengthen tiger conservation concerns in the international sphere through bilateral consultations. @PMOIndia, @moefcc
• Smart patrolling and notification of five more tiger reserves are some of the other measures undertaken
• Reduce human-tiger conflict.
• Conduct scientific research on tigers to help inform conservation strategies. Promote tiger-friendly policies. Monitor tiger numbers, population trends, and threats to tigers and their habitat

Government Schemes/projects related to environmental conservation in India

Project Tiger, a tiger conservation program launched in 1973 by the Government of India during Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s tenure. The Project Tiger aims to foster an exclusive tiger agenda in the core areas of tiger reserves, with an inclusive people-oriented agenda in the buffer.

It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. It is administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority. The government has set up a Tiger Protection Force under PT to combat poachers.PT funds relocation of villagers to minimize human-tiger conflicts.

Tiger landscapes in India

Since the Tigers are present in the wide expanse of India, It was necessary to distribute the geographical limits and hence The tiger habitats were divided into 5 landscapes.

• Shivalik Gangetic Plains
• Central India and the Eastern Ghats
• Western Ghats
• North Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra Flood Plains
• Sunderbans

All of these 5 Tiger Landscapes were analyzed separately to get the most accurate tiger population spread across India and various techniques were used to achieve the results.