Maraj, R., Seidensticker, J. 2006. Assessment of a Framework for Monitoring Tiger Population Trends in India. A Report to the IUNC: World Conservation Union and India's Project Tiger. Available from: <http://projecttiger.nic.in/whtsnew/Assessment%20of%20a%20framework%20for%20monitoring%20tiger%20population%20trends%20in%20India-%202006.pdf> (Accessed March 2012)
Ministry of Environment and Forests: Government of India. Tiger~Meetr: Measuring the Management Effectiveness of Tiger Reserves in India (2011). Available from: <http://www.projecttiger.nic.in/whtsnew/meetr_tiger_2011.pdf> (Accessed March 2012)
National Tiger Conservation Authority. Project Tiger. Available from: <http://projecttiger.nic.in/index.asp> (Accessed March 2012)
As a parting farewell gift, I am blessing you dedicated
bloggers with one last conservation success story. At the turn of the century
the estimated tiger population in India was 40,000 individuals. That number
declined into the mere 200’s in the 1970’s, a devastating low population size
putting the tiger in the danger of extinction.
Increased human and livestock population in the country of India has led to an extreme pressure and reliance on forest resources, ultimately causing degradation and fragmentation of wildlife habitats. Tigers are killed for sport, skins and body parts. The demands from other countries for those lucrative profits pose a threat to wildlife. It was estimated that 10 grams of tiger bones received a price of $25 US in 1999. The quantum of trade in wildlife products is valued at 20 billion dollars in the global market, estimation just next to the quantum of narcotics. More than one third of the trade in wildlife is illegal. In 1973 launched the Project Tiger Scheme, aiming at tiger conservation by way of ‘tiger reserves’. Nine tiger reserves, covering an area of about 13,000sq.km, were initially implemented in several different states during the first couple years of the project. Currently, the number of tiger reserves has increased to an amazing 39 areas, covering more than 37,000sq.km, 1.14% of the total area of the country!
The
tiger population has since increased in numbers to more than 4000 tigers. This
rebound through effective protection and conservation measures has resurrected
the genetic diversity in some of the most unique and endangered
ecosystems. The approach that Project Tiger
took to bring back the tigers from the brink of extinction were to eliminate
all forms of human disturbances and exploitation in designated locations, to
repair damages done by man on the habitats, as well as to research the habitat
and carefully monitor the changes in the flora and fauna. Tigers are a keystone
species representing the well being of the ecosystem, by conserving tigers the
entire ecosystem was conserved. It would be very sad to lose the biggest and
mores feared predator in the world, so I am very grateful that India has
managed to bring back this majestic creature from near extinction.
WORD COUNT: 371
Very nice blog! I am actually talking about tigers for our presentation haha! They are beautiful animals.
ReplyDeleteDid you come across many other success stories about tigers? Cause from the research I have been doing tiger populations in Asia are in tons or trouble. Maybe they could get some pointers from this success story!
I am glad to hear that the tigers in India were able to rebound, however I would still be worried about them as human population growth and consumption in India doesnt seem to be slowing down. Do you know what they are doing to ensure that the tigers continue to be protected? For example, how well the protected areas are monitored and what enforcement there is?
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to see that conservation efforts and the implementation of Tiger reserves throughout India has helped their population numbers to rebound. I hope that these Tiger reserves are well-managed and have good law enforcement systems to prevent poachers from entering the area. Unfortunately, as India's human population continues to expand I am sure that Tiger poaching will increase if these areas do not have a good management system. The need for farming, industrial practices and catering to the needs of supply and demand could also affect these areas in the future. Do you know if alot of these protected areas for the Tigers in India are run by private organizations or if they are run by government programs in India?
ReplyDelete~Cassandra
Thanks for the hope, Jennine! Though 4000 is still a critically low number, I think it gives us more incentive to conserve the population because there is still a viable chance we could bring them back to a self-supportive state (if many other factors contributed positively as well).
ReplyDeleteWell know that makes 3 of us who have done some research on the tiger in india... I think that they are sufficiently covered and lets hope we see a decrease in poaching in them, and a continued increase in their population numbers :)
ReplyDelete