29 July
Global Tiger Day
New Delhi: India’s 14 tiger reserves have got global ‘Conservation Assured|Tiger Standards (CA|TS)’ recognition for good tiger conservation, Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupendra Yadav, informed while speaking on the occasion of Global Tiger Day, here today
CA|TS has been agreed upon as accreditation tool by the global coalition of Tiger Range Countries (TRCs) and has been developed by tiger and protected area experts. Officially launched in 2013, it sets minimum standards for effective management of target species and encourages assessment of these standards in relevant conservation areas. CA|TS is a set of criteria which allows tiger sites to check if their management will lead to successful tiger conservation.
The 14 tiger reserves which have been accredited are Manas, Kaziranga and Orang in Assam, Satpura, Kanha and Panna in Madhya Pradesh, Pench in Maharashtra, Valmiki Tiger Reserve in Bihar, Dudhwa in Uttar Pradesh,Sunderbans in West Bengal, Parambikulam in Kerala, Bandipur Tiger Reserve of Karnataka and Mudumalai and Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu.
Also read: History of tracking tigers – the transition from traditional shikaris to digital technology
Yadav said that Tiger Conservation is a symbol of conservation of forests and the approach of the Government of India has been an inclusive one integrating scientific and traditional knowledge along with people’s participation which is vital for the conservation of Flora and Fauna of the country.
During all India tiger estimation 2018, leopard population was also estimated within the forested habitats in tiger occupied states of the country. The overall leopard population in tiger range landscape of India in 2018 was estimated at 12,852 (SE range 12,172 – 13,535). This is a significant increase from the 2014, figure that was 7,910 (SE 6,566-9,181) in forested habitats of 18 tiger bearing states of the country.
The Environment Minister also released the report ‘Status of Leopards, Co-predators and Megaherbivores-2018’ stating that the report is a testimony to the fact that conservation of tigers leads to the conservation of entire ecosystem. A special edition of National Tiger Conservation Authority’s (NTCA) quarterly newsletter ‘STRIPES’, was also released commemorating Global Tiger Day.
