The long-awaited India's Tiger Census, released yesterday by the government of India, shows the country more at risk of losing its national symbol to poaching and habitat loss, WWF-India said yesterday. WWF commended the Indian government for its scientific integrity, and for sharing with the world the harsh truth of the crisis facing the tiger.
The census, conducted in 2006/ 2007 estimates an Indian tiger population of between 1165 and 1657 tigers. But it can be safely assumed that the current estimation is more accurate than the ones undertaken earlier, which showed inflated tiger numbers than what actually existed on the ground.
WWF complimented the Indian government’s National Tiger Conservation Authority for its decision to undertake a scientific assessment of tiger population through an independent research agency, the Wildlife Institute of India which has resulted in producing the most reliable picture yet of the state of the Indian tiger. This is the most complete census ever undertaken of tigers in India, or indeed of wild tigers anywhere else in the world.
“These estimates are distressingly low, but at least we now have better habitat and population data than ever before and we can intervene more strategically and more effectively to help ensure that tiger populations recover, and that India can maintain its national symbol.” said Sujoy Banerjee, Director, Species Conservation, WWF-India.
"It is also amply clear that the tiger numbers are at the threshold, and if the numbers go down any further, then recovery may not be possible at all. The time has come for the government and all other institutions and agencies to show serious commitment to tiger conservation if at all we wish to see tiger in the wild in India in the future" he added.
Tigers are threatened by a combination of poaching, habitat loss from development, the loss of corridors between areas and retaliatory killing of tigers for preying on cattle or attacking humans. The existence of international markets for illegal tiger parts in spite of the fact that the countries where majority of illegal trade in wildlife takes place are signatories to CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) is indeed a matter of grave concern.
“However, we are glad that the areas where WWF is deeply involved in tiger conservation are among the areas identified as having the best prospects for tigers.”
In India, WWF is working in three landscapes with focus on tiger conservation which are encompassing the foothills of the Himalayas in neighbouring Nepal, the central part of India and the Sunderbans adjoining Bangladesh. The areas identified as having high probability of long term persistence by themselves such as Corbett, Kanha, and Sunderbans are located in the landscapes in which WWF has its activities.
WWF is working at the grassroots level in these landscapes by supporting the forest department for better protection of tigers, providing habitat management initiatives for better management of prey populations, curbing poaching by developing informer networks, building capacities of staff and equipping them to execute their duties more efficiently in the field, and reducing the human-tiger conflict to nullify chances of retaliatory killings of tiger or its prey. Above all, WWF is working very closely with local communities to reduce their pressures on the forest resources on one hand, while providing them with better livelihood opportunities to help them become “partners in conservation” .
“It is of great concern that some reserves appear to have lost their tigers, pointing to a clear need to upgrade and maintain the general level of protection offered in reserves, but apart from this, the matter of real concern is the tigers outside the Tiger Reserves, National Parks and Sanctuaries. If attention is not paid to their conservation we will lose them altogether” said Banerjee. “The continued threat from poaching and illegal trade in tiger parts must be met with enhanced enforcement efforts.”
WWF-India welcomed the government initiatives, also announced to increase financial assistance for tiger conservation, both within and outside protected areas. It also applauded this month’s establishment of the eight nation South Asia Wildlife Trade Initiative (SAWTI) as the beginning of an effective co-operation on organized criminal networks engaged in wildlife trafficking. WWF hopes that the newly formed Wildlife Crime Control Bureau will also start showing results which will of immense value for tiger conservation in India.
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