India Tiger Conservation Status: Population, Reserves and Threats
Why in the news
India’s tiger recovery is a conservation success after five decades of Project Tiger, but new threats call for fresh policy attention.
| Project Tiger | Launch (1973) | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Reserves | 9 | 58 |
| Area | 14,000 sq km | 84,487 sq km (about 2.5% of India) |
| States | – | 18 |
Key facts
- Population: 1,411 in 2006 to 3,682 in 2022, a 161% rise.
- Best gains: Uttarakhand and eastern Maharashtra.
- Local extinctions or declines: Palamau (Jharkhand), Achanakmar (Chhattisgarh), Satkosia (Odisha), Dampa (Mizoram), Buxa (West Bengal).
Concerns
- Poaching driven by illegal demand for tiger parts, and cross-border smuggling near Nepal.
- Human-tiger conflict: 73 deaths in 2024, 42 in Maharashtra.
- Forest teams are understaffed and under-resourced.
Way forward
- About 35% of reserves need urgent protection: habitat restoration, prey replenishment, reintroduction.
- Improve livelihoods of forest-dependent people; plan population management; align conservation with social justice.
Exam angle
- Project Tiger: 1973; tiger count 2022: 3,682; global share: about 75%.