Key Highlights:
- Tiger Count (2024): 148 individuals
- 2022 Comparison: 104 tigers
- Method: Phase IV monitoring using camera traps (as per NTCA protocol)
- Duration: 103 days (Dec 2023 – Apr 2024)
- Area Surveyed: 1,307.49 sq. km
- Camera Traps: 293 units
- Images Captured: 4,011 images from 242 locations
Relevance : GS 3(Environment and Ecology)
Tiger Density Ranking (India):
Kaziranga Tiger Reserve now has the third-highest tiger density in India:
- Bandipur Tiger Reserve, Karnataka – 19.83 tigers/100 sq. km
- Corbett Tiger Reserve, Uttarakhand – 19.56 tigers/100 sq. km
- Kaziranga Tiger Reserve, Assam – 18.65 tigers/100 sq. km
Reasons for Increase in Tiger Count:
- First-time Sampling of the Biswanath Wildlife Division (added 27 new tiger records)
- Core Eastern Assam Wildlife Division count increased from 104 (2022) to 115 (2024)
- Nagaon Wildlife Division maintained a stable count of 6 tigers
Methodology:
- Technique Used: Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture (SECR)
- Considered more ecologically accurate than traditional methods
- Coordinating Bodies:
- National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
- Wildlife Institute of India (WII)
- Assam Forest Department
Conservation Context:
- The Kaziranga landscape includes a mix of grasslands, semi-evergreen and tropical forests, and wetlands — ideal for supporting both tigers and their prey base.
- Conservation in the region has improved through:
- Anti-poaching efforts
- Habitat restoration
- Community-based initiatives
Challenges:
- Persistent threats include:
- Habitat fragmentation
- Human-wildlife conflict
- Infrastructure development pressures
- Climate change
- Agricultural encroachment
Political and Administrative Response:
- Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma emphasized Kaziranga’s dual role in tiger conservation and habitat restoration, particularly noting actions against infiltration and forest degradation.
- He described the tiger as the “treasure of Assam’s forests.”
Tigers in India – Key Facts
- India hosts ~75% of the global wild tiger population.
As per Status of Tigers in India, 2022 report, estimated count: 3,682 tigers. - Top Tiger States (2022):
Madhya Pradesh (785), Karnataka (563), Uttarakhand (560), Maharashtra (444), Tamil Nadu (306). - Project Tiger (1973):
Launched to conserve tigers in the wild — now administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under the MoEFCC. - Tiger Reserves (as of 2024):
54 reserves, covering ~78,000 sq km, or 2.4% of India’s geographical area. - Recent Success – Kaziranga (2024):
- Tiger population rose from 104 (2022) to 148 (2024).
- Third-highest tiger density in India: 18.65 tigers/100 sq. km.
- Attributed to better monitoring and inclusion of new areas like Biswanath Wildlife Division.
