Why the government wants to focus on restoring struggling tiger reserves

Last week, the Environment Ministry and Rajasthan Forest Department marked the 18th anniversary of tiger reintroductions at the Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar. Nestled in the lap of the Aravalli ranges, the tiger reserve had previously lost all its tigers.

This triggered not just a response on the reintroduction of tigers but sparked a nationwide overhaul of tiger conservation, population estimation methods, and management practices

The Centre released two new assessments to mark this event. The first is a roadmap to manage tigers in the years ahead while the second dictates the lessons learnt from 12 re-introduction initiatives in the country. It has been argued that national parks and reserves with low tigers should be in focus beyond simply counting tiger numbers.

To aid the recovery of big cats, parks with poor habitats and prey availability have also been included. This, the Centre said, will also aid the dispersal of tigers from places which have reached peak carrying capacity towards newer habitats.

Tiger numbers on rise, but concentrated in pockets

India’s tiger population has risen steadily. From 1,411 in 2006, there are now 3,682 tigers in 2022 across 58 tiger reserves, spread across 85,000 square kilometers (sq km). The numbers, however, do not reveal the full story. The numbers, however, do not reveal the full story.

Of the 58 tiger reserves, 10-12 tiger reserves alone account for about 36 per cent of the population. Importantly, there are 12 tiger reserves with less than three tigers inside. Three of these reserves– Kawal, Kamlang and Dampa– have zero tigers. As the density of tigers increases, they disperse to buffer areas, territorial divisions and mixed-use land.

Parks with low tigers however, may have intact forests but are also low on prey. Neither situation is ideal.

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In reserves housing a high density of tigers, their dispersal to forest edges or agricultural landscapes puts them in conflict with humans while increasing their dependency on livestock on these fringes. It also elevates the risk of mortality while crossing railways, roadways, canals.

The unevenness between ‘source populations’– where habitat, prey and tiger numbers are high– and ‘sink populations– where there are no breeding tigers or connectivity with healthier forest– poses a challenge for the long-term conservation of tigers.

The Centre’s latest assessment calls for consolidating ‘source populations’ in 13 tiger reserves such as Corbett, Bandipur and Kaziranga. It has also suggested the need for priority interventions in at least 25 tiger reserves– including reintroductions where less than five tigers remain.

Identifying ‘recipient sites’ and why it is needed

Tiger population growth has sustained at six percent annually. This uneven growth, however, means that regions with high density are facing the pressure of managing dispersing tigers outside forests, human-wildlife conflict and poaching pressures. This, even as vast forests, are bereft of tigers.

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This situation arises due to the fragmentation of forested areas, tigers being discouraged to move across long distances, poor prey in sink areas forcing tigers to vacate them and external pressure from human activities. A well-connected landscape of forests across tiger reserves, territorial forests, mixed-use areas is key for establishing a metapopulation, helping in genetic exchange and reducing extinction risk in the long-term.

The government assessment notes that the long-term recovery of tiger populations depends on the interplay of prey abundance, habitat quality and most importantly, colonisation by tigers themselves. The National Tiger Conservation Authority and Wildlife Institute of India have created a framework or an index of assessment based on the status of habitat, prey and tiger population across each of the 58 reserves.

It accounts for the constraints they have faced such as poor habitat quality, prey abundance and poor connectivity with other landscapes. Based on this assessment, 25 tiger reserves have been identified where atleast one of them – prey availability, habitat quality and tiger occupancy – is under stress.

The Central Indian and Eastern Ghats landscape has the largest number of tiger reserves that have been identified for priority interventions.

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The aim is to recover tiger populations and assist their dispersal from other regions. In contrast, the North Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra floodplains are home to extensive forested habitats with good potential for population recovery, if prey recovery, protection and landscape connectivity is improved, it noted.

Lessons from past reintroduction

The Sariska reintroduction episode is considered as the first successful scientific tiger reintroduction to be carried out in the world, with previous attempts having failed in Russia.

Sariska’s success was replicated in Panna which had faced a similar wipeout of tigers in the mid to late 2000s. Since Panna’s reintroduction project in 2009, ten such translocations have been carried out with mixed success and some outright failures.

The Centre has acknowledged the failures of reintroduction in Satkosia, Odisha due to its rejection by local communities. The project also faced early setbacks in the form of livestock preying which bred resentment amongst the locals. Satkosia had received one male and one female tiger from Kanha in 2018, but one male tiger was killed in a snare trap.

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The Centre’s assessment also noted slow and lethargic progress of tiger reintroduction in Mukundara Hills reserve, Rajasthan due to limited breeding success. Reintroduction, the Centre’s assessment stated, is strictly a last resort, based on rigorous scientific assessment of habitat, prey, and protections and socio-economic conditions.