Status Report on Tiger Numbers in India preface contents intro why india must save the tiger Reasons for decline the current situation - historical backdrop - tiger census 2011- features - methodology - findings and conclusions Recommendations Bibliography PREFACE For designing, implementing, and evaluating the success of any conservation program for an endangered species, it is imperative to monitor the status, distribution, and trends in the populations of the target species. This report presents an analysis of tiger populations in India. It dwells on the current status of the tiger in various states and reserves of the country (as established by the Tiger Census of 2011 conducted by the NCTA- National Tiger Conservation Authority) and visible trends in growth or decline of tiger numbers. Also, the report outlines the reasons for the steep decline in tiger numbers as well as possible solutions to the problem. INTRO The tiger (Panthera tigris), a member of the Felidae family, is the largest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera.[4] The tiger, an apex predator is native to much of eastern and southern Asia. Aside from their great bulk and power, their most recognisable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes that overlays near-white to reddish-orange fur, with lighter underparts. The most numerous tiger subspecies is the Bengal tiger, while the largest is the Siberian tiger. They are highly adaptable and range from the Siberian taiga to open grasslands and tropical mangrove swamps of the Sunderbans. Tigers are among the most recognisable and popular of the world's charismatic megafauna. They have featured prominently in ancient mythology and folklore, and continue to be depicted in modern films and literature. Tigers appear on many flags and coats of arms, as mascots for sporting teams, and as the national animal of several Asian nations, including India They are territorial and generally solitary animals, often requiring large contiguous areas of habitat that support their prey demands. This coupled with the fact that they are indigenous to some of the more densely populated places on earth, has caused significant conflicts with humans. Three of the nine subspecies of modern tiger have gone extinct, and the remaining six are classified as endangered, some critically so. The primary direct causes are habitat destruction, fragmentation, and hunting. Estimation of the number of individuals of a species in a population is an important function in the field of ecology and wildlife conservation. Population estimates of any species are required to formulate a conservation strategy, prioritise and allocate resources, evaluate the success of conservation programs, and also for political reasons. The tiger is considered an icon for conservation in all the ecosystems where it occurs. Due to its endangered and flagship status, accurate and reliable population estimates are critical for implementation and assessment of conservation measures and management practices. Historically, tigers have existed from Mesopotamia and the Caucasus throughout most of South and East Asia. Today, the range of the species is radically reduced. All surviving species are under formal protection, yet poaching, habitat destruction, and inbreeding continue to threaten the tigers. In India, it is estimated that there were around 1 lakh tigers at the beginning of the 20th century. Today census figures indicate a modest number of 1700. WHY INDIA NEEDS TO SAVE THE TIGER _ The existing 39 tiger reserves represent around one-third of our high density forest area. _ More than 350 rivers originate from tiger reserves. Tiger reserves also sequester carbon, provide oxygen and slowly release ground water to regulate floods. _ As top predators, tigers shape the community structure of ecosystems. Tigers prevent over-grazing of the ecosystem by limiting herbivore numbers, and maintain ecological integrity. _ Tigers are solitary and have large home ranges. By this virtue tigers are excellent umbrella species as they provide space for a variety of other species to flourish. _ A powerful cultural mascot of India, a symbol of myth, mystery and imagination. If we lose the tiger, we will indeed lose an integral part of our identity as a nation. REASONS FOR DECLINE IN TIGER NUMBERS As they have no predators in the wild, the only threat to their survival is brought about by human activity. I) POACHING Humans have hunted tigers in recent times for many reasons. i) Retaliatory Killing- Firstly, tigers often prey on domestic livestock when food in the forest is scarce. This leads to retaliatory killing of tigers by local villagers. The tiger is attracted by a baited prey, usually the dead carcass of a goat or buffalo. Either the carcass is poisoned or snares and pit traps are set nearby to catch the tiger. Once caught, it is immobile and is then shot to death. In some parts of India, the patch of grass where tiger cubs are hiding is burnt. This is done so as to make sure that new generations of tigers are not born. ii) Hunting For Sport- Traditionally, tigers have been hunted for sport in all cultures since killing a tiger was considered ‘an act of bravery’. Tribal people killed tigers for meat and for fun. Big game hunting was a favourite pastime of royalty and British officers. Today, this practice is limited to the rich class. iii) Poaching For Body Parts- Tiger skins are in demand for making designer clothes and luxury rugs. They are hunted for commercial reasons to supply the large and profitable market for their body parts. These are used in Chinese medicines in oriental countries- China, Singapore, Korea, Japan and Tibet. Tiger meat and tiger soup are considered delicacies in these country. This threat has become more prominent in India since the tigers of China are virtually extinct and India, its neighbour provides an ideal source of tigers. Superstitions Regarding Tiger Parts Consuming tiger bones can cure arthritis and strengthen muscles. Tiger tail can cure tail disease. Tiger blood is a tonic. Eating the cat’s eyeballs can get rid of cataracts. II) LOSS OF HABITAT The ongoing process of population explosion in Asia over the last few centuries has led to extensive agriculture for which large regions have been cleared. These forests are forever lost to humans and tiger habitat shrinks. Today, tiger habitat is being lost both to farmland and to development projects such as construction of roads, railways and due to commercialization. This facilitates more settlements in tiger habitat further reducing their range. III) EXPLOITATION OF FOREST PRODUCTS Forest is over-exploited for timber and other natural products, which are useful to man. It is logged both legally and illegally for wood. Huge areas of forest are rendered barren because of collection of firewood by locals on a large scale for fuel and tiger habitat is destroyed. IV) FOREST FIRES Local people deliberately burn forests to promote growth of grass for their livestock and to clear undergrowth for safety from wild elephants. These prove devastating for the forest and adversely affect tigers. Often tiger cubs are burnt to death by these fires. RECOMMENDATIONS The situation in the country is now alarming with only about 1500-2000 tigers remaining in the country as per most estimates. Drastic steps need to be taken or else human greed is bound to take further toll on the tiger population. According to most naturalists, the tiger’s biggest enemy-poachers have to be eliminated otherwise tigers will continue to perish. This can be done by hiring dedicated young forest guards and providing them with necessary equipment and a good salary. Laws need to be enforced and poachers have to be punished. The tiger crisis will continue as long as there is demand in the market for tiger products. Efforts need to be made to eradicate the superstitions regarding the tiger’s medicinal values and magic powers, so as to curb demand for tiger products. Awareness should be spread about the need to save tigers, especially amongst children. The governments of the countries which are host to tiger parts markets (China, North Korea, Japan etc) should be persuaded to crack down on the illegal trade. Villagers and tribals should be rehabilitated out of tiger habitats as far as possible, since man and beast cannot co-exist in harmony together. Locals living near tiger habitats should be fully compensated for any loss they might incur due to tigers in order to prevent retaliatory killing. Habitat destruction needs to be checked and efforts must be made to ensure that existing tiger habitats are not lost to agriculture or industry. It is also essential to protect the prey base of the tiger from poachers and villagers or else the tiger cannot survive. Buffer zones should be established around tiger reserves to prevent mananimal conflict. Tiger reserves must be linked together by forest corridors to disallow fragmentation and inbreeding of tiger populations. The Current Tiger Situation – Tiger Census 2011 There were an estimated 1,00,000 tigers at the turn of the 20th century, which quickly fell to 1800 by the year 1972. It was at this juncture that Project Tiger was started by the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi. There was initial success with numbers quickly rising to close to 4000 by 1990, which was followed by a sharp decline as the root causes threatening tigers had not been eliminated. It is also possible that the figures of previous censuses which had been done using the highly ineffective pugmarks method were grossly exaggerated and that tiger numbers never climbed that much The tiger census of 2011 was carried out by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NCTA). The National Tiger Conservation Authority was established in December 2005 following a recommendation of the Tiger Task Force[1], constituted by the Prime Minister of India for reorganized management of Project Tiger.[2] and the many Tiger Reserves in India. The census indicated an approximate figure of 1706 wild tigers in India. This is a marked improvement over the paltry figure of 1411 tigers of the 2006 census. Nevertheless the tiger situation continues to be grave as the threats to wild tigers are still prevalent. The All India Tiger Estimation exercise is one of the most crucial components of our national tiger conservation efforts. Since 2006, this monitoring exercise is being undertaken every four years. This presents an estimate of India’s current tiger population and a broader assessment of our tiger landscapes. This monitoring exercise was carried out as part of the tiger census of 2011 between December 2009 and December 2010. A three phase approach was used to sample all forested habitats in tiger states. A double sampling approach was used to first estimate occupancy and relative abundance of tigers, co-predators, and prey through sign and encounter rates in all forested areas. A team of researchers then sampled a subset of these areas using robust statistical approaches like mark-recapture and distance sampling to estimate absolute densities of tigers and their prey. Covariate information was generated using remotely sensed data and attribute data using Geographic Information System. Indices (tiger signs, prey relative abundance indices, habitat characteristics) were then calibrated against absolute densities and the relationships used for extrapolation of tiger densities within a landscape. Tiger numbers were obtained for contiguous patches of occupied forests by using average densities for that population block. Numbers and densities are reported as adult tigers with a standard error range. The three phases of the tiger estimation procedure are as follows: _ Phase 1: Field data collected at the beat-level (i.e. the primary patrolling unit) by trained personnel using a standardised protocol. _ Phase 2: Analysis of habitat status of tiger forests using satellite data. _ Phase 3: Camera trapping was the primary method used, where individual tigers were identified from photographs based on their unique stripe patterns. This information was analysed using a well established scientific framework. Camera trapping was carried out by teams of wildlife biologists and local forest personnel. The ‘Camera Trap’ method used in this census was a major improvement of the pugmark technique used in the censuses held prior to 2006. Pugmark analysis often leads to double counting of tigers which lead to inflated census figures. This is not possible with the new technology used, as each tiger has a unique stripe pattern which is identified by the camera traps. Based on the tiger numbers recorded in sampled sites, an estimate for other contiguous tiger-occupied landscapes, was made. For this, additional information such as tiger signs, prey availability, habitat conditions and human disturbance was used. Thus, the final estimates provide a comprehensive and statistically robust result for the whole country. SALIENT FEATURES OF 2010 ASSESSMENT _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Forest personnel involved in data collection: ~4,76,000 Number of forest beats sampled in Phase I: 29,772 Total distance walked in Phase I: ~6,25,000 km More than 27,300 man-days of researchers Total camera traps used: ~800 Total area camera-trapped: ~10,500 sq. km. Number of individual tigers camera trapped: 550 Total cost: Rs. 9.1 crore Results of the Census The census has pegged the India’s tiger population between 1571 and 1875 with an approximate average of 1706 individuals. The latest census indicates that the Shivalik-Gangetic plains (Uttarakhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh) have 353 tigers, central India and Eastern Ghats (Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh) have 601 tigers, Western Ghats (Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka) 534, the northeast hills and Brahmaputra floodplains (Assam, Mizoram, West Bengal) 148, and the Sunderbans 70. This census had mostly positive results with increase in numbers being reported from most states barring Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh where the population has declined in the last five years. The ecologically important tiger habitats of Uttarakhand, Maharashtra and Karnataka in particular have shown positive trends. Tigers have been doing well in protected forests such as National Parks and Wildlife sanctuaries with most reporting population growth. The largest population of 380+ tigers has been reported in the Nilgiri biosphere reserve which spans across the southern states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand hosts the maximum tigers (200+). Significant population growth has been found in other famed reserves such as Ranthambore, Kaziranga and Kanha national parks. However, the fate of tigers outside protected reserves (where 30% of India’s tiger population resides) is quite uncertain due to inadequate protection measures. The tables below give the findings of the 2011 census: Scientific robustness is the most important feature of the 2010 All India Tiger Population Estimation exercise. This holistic assessment uses tiger as a flagship species to assess status of co-predators, prey and habitat. The positive trends in tiger population estimates in source sites are encouraging. The fact that better protected tiger source sites have maintained viable tiger populations underscores the importance of strong managerial support. However, the area occupied by tigers outside protected areas has gone down considerably. This highlights the need for securing corridors for tigers to move between source sites. Moreover, while tiger numbers have increased tiger habitat has gone down. Tiger occupancy has shrunk nearly 22% from 936,000 hectares in 2006 to 728,000 hectares in 2010 which is a worrying sign. It indicates that while tigers have been doing well in National Parks, tiger habitat is being rapidly lost to human activities. Tiger density in existing habitats is reaching its peak, and any further increase could escalate man-animal conflict which can be lethal for the big cat.