Tiger Count In India Shows Significant Growth
Tigers in India are roaring much louder than before. The population of big cats has increased to almost 3,000, making India "one of the safest habitats" for them in the world. India is now home to nearly 75 percent of the world’s wild tigers. Their numbers have risen by 33 percent (from 2,226 in 2014 to 2,967 in 2018) in four years.
This is the highest-ever recorded between cycles that stood at 21 percent between 2006 and 2010, and 30 percent between 2010 and 2014. The growth is in conformity with the average annual growth rate of tigers since 2006, according to the latest tiger census report titled ‘All-India Tiger Estimation, 2018’.
Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number of tigers at 526, closely followed by Karnataka at 524 and Uttarakhand with 442 tigers. The census report has been authored by the Wildlife Institute of India, jointly with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and state forest departments. India conducts tiger estimation every four years. This is the fourth version of the census. The earlier three cycles of estimation were completed in 2006, 2010 and 2014.
India has been estimating its tiger population using a double sampling approach that involves a mark-recapture framework to ascertain their numbers. The survey covered nearly 382,000 square kilometres of forested habitats across India. Of this, nearly 130,000 square kilometres were covered by camera traps.
The census methodology was carried out in two parts. The first sample involved data collection from the field. Nearly 40,000 field staff mined large amounts of data in an estimated 18 tiger-bearing states. They documented tiger presence, habitat, co-predator, prey base numbers, human impact, among other aspects.
In the second part, trained wildlife biologists installed camera traps across landscapes. They collected information on tigers and prey abundance. Data was collated and numerical calculations done at the Wildlife Institute of India at Dehradun.
The 2018 census was the most technologically-intensive wildlife enumeration exercise ever undertaken in the country. It is also far more accurate and precise than ever before. The assessment used Android phone-based application and desktop version of M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers-Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) for collecting, archiving and analysing data. The software was used both for data collection and analysis. The phone application automatically recorded the track log of surveys and line transects. It also authenticated the recorded data on signs and animal sightings with geo-tagged photographs. This time, nearly 15,000 cameras were used as compared to around 9,000 cameras in the first version of the new census in 2006.
Wildlife biologists say that increased camera-trap density and the use of android technology provided more robust estimates. Around 83 percent of the tigers were camera-trapped, adding credibility to the numbers. The rest 17 percent of the population was estimated using spatially explicit ‘capture-recapture’ statistical models.
Wildlife scientists made some changes in the methodology. The dependence was more on camera trap images of tigers. Technology helped in avoiding replication of tiger counts. Also, photographs from camera traps showing stripe patterns on tigers are being used to identify individual tigers. The big cats have a distinct stripe pattern—much like fingerprints in human beings.
India’s tiger estimation exercise is the world’s largest wildlife survey effort in terms of coverage, intensity of sampling and quantum of camera trapping.
India has achieved its commitment to the St. Petersburg Declaration, four years ahead of the 2022 deadline. The results of the survey were declared by Prime Minister NarendraModi on the Global Tigers Day in New Delhi. He said that India will strike a balance between development and environment. The Prime Minister said, “India will build more homes for our citizens and at the same time create quality habitats for animals.”
The vast increase in tiger numbers should augur well for wildlife tourism that can play a major role in boosting India’s economy. Besides, ecotourism will generate great benefits for local communities.
Script: K V Venkatasubramanian, Journalist
This is the highest-ever recorded between cycles that stood at 21 percent between 2006 and 2010, and 30 percent between 2010 and 2014. The growth is in conformity with the average annual growth rate of tigers since 2006, according to the latest tiger census report titled ‘All-India Tiger Estimation, 2018’.
Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number of tigers at 526, closely followed by Karnataka at 524 and Uttarakhand with 442 tigers. The census report has been authored by the Wildlife Institute of India, jointly with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and state forest departments. India conducts tiger estimation every four years. This is the fourth version of the census. The earlier three cycles of estimation were completed in 2006, 2010 and 2014.
India has been estimating its tiger population using a double sampling approach that involves a mark-recapture framework to ascertain their numbers. The survey covered nearly 382,000 square kilometres of forested habitats across India. Of this, nearly 130,000 square kilometres were covered by camera traps.
The census methodology was carried out in two parts. The first sample involved data collection from the field. Nearly 40,000 field staff mined large amounts of data in an estimated 18 tiger-bearing states. They documented tiger presence, habitat, co-predator, prey base numbers, human impact, among other aspects.
In the second part, trained wildlife biologists installed camera traps across landscapes. They collected information on tigers and prey abundance. Data was collated and numerical calculations done at the Wildlife Institute of India at Dehradun.
The 2018 census was the most technologically-intensive wildlife enumeration exercise ever undertaken in the country. It is also far more accurate and precise than ever before. The assessment used Android phone-based application and desktop version of M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers-Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) for collecting, archiving and analysing data. The software was used both for data collection and analysis. The phone application automatically recorded the track log of surveys and line transects. It also authenticated the recorded data on signs and animal sightings with geo-tagged photographs. This time, nearly 15,000 cameras were used as compared to around 9,000 cameras in the first version of the new census in 2006.
Wildlife biologists say that increased camera-trap density and the use of android technology provided more robust estimates. Around 83 percent of the tigers were camera-trapped, adding credibility to the numbers. The rest 17 percent of the population was estimated using spatially explicit ‘capture-recapture’ statistical models.
Wildlife scientists made some changes in the methodology. The dependence was more on camera trap images of tigers. Technology helped in avoiding replication of tiger counts. Also, photographs from camera traps showing stripe patterns on tigers are being used to identify individual tigers. The big cats have a distinct stripe pattern—much like fingerprints in human beings.
India’s tiger estimation exercise is the world’s largest wildlife survey effort in terms of coverage, intensity of sampling and quantum of camera trapping.
India has achieved its commitment to the St. Petersburg Declaration, four years ahead of the 2022 deadline. The results of the survey were declared by Prime Minister NarendraModi on the Global Tigers Day in New Delhi. He said that India will strike a balance between development and environment. The Prime Minister said, “India will build more homes for our citizens and at the same time create quality habitats for animals.”
The vast increase in tiger numbers should augur well for wildlife tourism that can play a major role in boosting India’s economy. Besides, ecotourism will generate great benefits for local communities.
Script: K V Venkatasubramanian, Journalist
Comments
Post a Comment