Global Tiger Day: Conservation And Development Of Tigers Can Take Place Simultaneously
As International Tiger Day is celebrated on July 29 each year, Dipankar Ghose, Director of Species and Landscapes at World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), India throws light upon these wildcats in an interview with Indiatimes.
While walking through a jungle or taking a safari you could be thrilled looking for a Tiger while knowing, it is already looking at you!
Largest of all the Asian big cats, Tigers are sharp in their sight, sound and smell, can stalk their prey and hunt it, all by itself. The King gains independence at two years of age. During the 1900s, their population around the world was close to a 100,000 in number. However, over the years the world has witnessed a 95% decline in its numbers.
From swimming in lakes of Sunderban to climbing the snow mountains of Bhutan, these majestic creatures maintain ecosystems, help mitigate severe climatic conditions and preserve biodiversity.
As International Tiger Day is celebrated on July 29 each year, Dipankar Ghose, Director of Species and Landscapes at World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF), India throws light upon these wildcats in an interview with Indiatimes.
We asked him about the significance of Global Tigers Day to which Ghose says, ¡°All the world leaders from developed, developing as well as the 13 tiger range countries met in Saint Petersburg, Russia on July 29, 2010 to set a goal of doubling the then tiger population of 3,890 by 2022 known as the 'Tx2 programme'. Since 2010 was the Chinese Tiger Year and given that China has often received criticism for not promoting tiger breeding, the next goal was based on the celebration of the next Chinese Tiger year, i.e 2022.¡±
¡°Global Tigers Day therefore, is a celebration of the success of Tiger conservation and raising awareness about the species all around the globe.¡°
This year¡¯s global online campaign is ¡®Connect To Tigers¡¯ which mobilises people to share their experience of seeing a tiger that will further popularise and promote the cause of harbouring a protected environment for Tigers; which have both cultural and ecological value.
While there are around nine broad sub-species of these tigers like the Siberian tiger, South China tiger, Malayan tiger etc which can be found in different parts of the world, India, Bhutan and Nepal shelter only the Bengal tiger. Tiger being India's national animal remains an endangered specie despite India¡¯s hefty expenditure on preserving the national animal.
Why Is The Tiger An Endangered Species?
We asked Mr. Ghose the main reasons behind the decline in the tiger population, "Primarily, Tourism, poaching and loss of habitat are the main reasons behind the decreasing population. The tiger is a large mammal which needs a wide movement corridor. Degradation of their habitat has led to a 95% decline in their population."
The tiger needs to hunt other animals. It means in order to encourage the breeding of tigers, once needs to maintain other herbivores species as well.
¡°Human-Tiger conflict is another reason behind the wild cats becoming endangered.¡± For example, there is a local community that lives in an area possessed by the tiger. The community raises cattle as their livestock to earn a living. Tiger being a carnivore animal hunts the cattle down. These incidents enrage the human beings living there. They decide to kill the Tiger. Such a Human-tiger conflict has often disturbed the ecological system.
Therefore, tiger reserves and other tiger preservation organisations like the WWF work towards providing compensation to these families to make sure that tigers and human beings can co-exist peacefully, he further added.
Conservation and Development Can Take Place Together
Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi while speaking at the 3rd Asia Ministerial Conference on Tiger Conservation in April 2016 said that Conservation of tigers and development of cities can take place simultaneously.
¡°To say in order to protect the tigers, one needs to curb urbanization is an incorrect claim. If I have to reach the southern tip of India via road which passes through a tiger corridor then maybe I should explore air travel or sea travel to not disturb their natural habitat¡±, says Mr. Ghose.
¡°However, if one argues that a re-route isn¡¯t possible then I should develop the proper resources that can make this possible." Over the years, many animals have been killed in road accidents alone.For instance, a report by the Brazilian centre of Ecology revealed that an estimated 1.3 million animals die every year in road accidents alone.
Therefore, if traversing a forest seems like a long journey for a farmer then flyovers or highways should be built that would create a balance between conservation and development processes. Mitigation measures like providing financial support in case of human injury or death, strengthening infrastructural support to the forest departments, should be carried out as much as possible.
Is There Any Particular State That Needs Immediate Attention In Terms Of Tiger Population?
Ghose tells us that recovery of tigers and movement corridors is a national goal with no particular emphasis on any one state. The reason behind different numbers of tiger present in each state varies depending on its capacity to shelter these creatures. For example, Rajaji National Park can have more number of tigers as compared to Jim Corbett National Park which already houses a sufficient number of them.
In the Dampa Tiger Reserve in Mizoram, a tiger hasn¡¯t been seen in the last two years. The reason behind not sighting them isn¡¯t that there were no tigers perhaps, the few tigers that used to live there were either poached or maybe because there needs to be better connectivity to that particular reserve.
The All India Tiger Estimation, 2018 Is Underway. How can one ensure that the results of this estimation are authentic? The Pugmark Count Seems To Be An Unreliable Method.
¡°India has stopped using the ¡®Pugmark¡¯ method for carrying out its Tiger estimation. The last this method was used was maybe in 2006. Moreover, the tiger count is not a census but an estimation. It is a mean number that is determined using an extrapolation method.¡±
Currently, the country is using the ¡®Camera track method¡¯ in which each tiger Reserve or park is divided into grids of 2 square kms each. 2 cameras are installed within each grid for a period of 25 days. Each tiger has stripes that are different from the other, even if they are siblings. On the basis of the pictures obtained, one ascertains the estimated number. The tiger Estimation process is carried out in four phases.
In 2006, the tiger estimation in India stood at 1,411, in 2010 at 1,706 and in 2014, 2,226. India is witnessing a recovery of movement corridors of tigers and is home to two-thirds of the world¡¯s tiger population. To make sure these numbers keep growing, stakeholders, government agencies, forest departments as well as private agencies need to work together to make sure these corridors are safe-guarded.