PROJECT
TIGER AND DISPLACEMENT: ENVIRONMENT
NEWS
:
Project Tiger will displace 5.5 lakh tribals: report
WHAT’S
IN THE NEWS ?
Project Tiger and Displacement:
Displacement
Overview:
• Total
Displacement: Project Tiger will displace at least 5.5 lakh Scheduled Tribes
and other forest dwellers.
• Pre-2021
Displacement: 2,54,794 people displaced from 50 tiger reserves (~5,000 per
protected area).
• Post-2021
Displacement: Average displacement from six tiger reserves is 48,333, a 967%
increase.
Significant
Displacements:
1 Kumbhalgarh
Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan: 1,60,000 people
2 Nauradehi
Wildlife Sanctuary, Madhya Pradesh: 72,772 people
3 Ranipur Tiger
Reserve, Uttar Pradesh: 45,000 people
Report
Insights:
• Source: Rights and Risks
Analysis Group.
• Title: “India’s Tiger
Reserves: Tribals Get Out, Tourists Welcome”
• Human Rights Violations: Report
highlights forced evictions and massive human rights violations.
Tiger
Conservation in India:
National Animal
• Tiger became
the national animal of India in 1973, replacing the lion.
Jim Corbett National Park
• Established
in 1936 for tiger conservation.
Conservation Status
• Classified as
Endangered (IUCN Red List).
• Schedule 1
animal (Wildlife Protection Act, 1972).
Killing Conditions
• Can be killed
if diseased/disabled beyond recovery or if it poses a threat to human life.
• Cannot be
declared vermin.
Tiger Reserves
• 54 tiger
reserves in India under Project Tiger, administered by the National Tiger
Conservation Authority (NTCA).
Tiger Population in India
• Home to 80%
of the world's tigers.
• Population
growth: 1,411 (2006) → 1,706 (2010) → 2,226 (2014) → 2,967 (2018).
Largest and Smallest Tiger Reserves
• Largest:
Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve (Andhra Pradesh, Telangana).
• Smallest: Bor
Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra).
Global Tiger Day
• Celebrated on July 29.
Global Tiger Forum (GTF)
• Established
in 1994, headquartered in New Delhi.
• Promotes
global tiger conservation.
• Members: 14
tiger range countries.
• St.
Petersburg Tiger Summit (2010) aimed to double tiger population by 2022.
Global Tiger Initiative (GTI)
• Launched in
2008 by World Bank and partners to save wild tigers.
Project Tiger
• Launched in
1973 with 9 reserves, now 54.
• Core-buffer
strategy: Core areas (national parks/sanctuaries) and buffer areas (mixed-use).
• Ongoing
Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
Core and Buffer Zones
• Core: Free of
biotic disturbances, for tiger conservation.
• Buffer:
Peripheral areas for human-tiger coexistence.
Conservation Methods
• Ex-situ: Gene
Banks, Seed Banks.
• In-situ:
Wildlife sanctuaries, national parks.
Tiger Census
• Conducted
every 4 years by NTCA.
• Methods:
Camera trapping, DNA fingerprinting.
M-STrIPES
• Monitoring
System for Tigers launched by NTCA in 2010.
Success of Project Tiger
• Census
2018-19: 2,967 tigers.
• Top
performers: Madhya Pradesh (526), Karnataka (524), Uttarakhand (442).
Tiger Task Force
• Recommended
establishing NTCA in 2005.
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
• Statutory
body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change.
Wildlife Institute of India (WII)
• Established
in 1982, Dehradun.
Steps for Conservation
1 Legal:
• Amendment of
Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
2
Administrative:
• Anti-poaching
activities, Special Tiger Protection Force.
3 Financial:
• Centrally
Sponsored Schemes (Project Tiger).
4 International
Cooperation:
• Agreements
with Nepal, China, Bangladesh, Russia.
Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS)
• Accreditation
for tiger reserves to ensure management success.
• 14 accredited
tiger reserves in India.
Source : https://epaper.thehindu.com/ccidist-ws/th/th_delhi/issues/93024/OPS/GAND4HFDL.1+GBAD4J5HV.1.html