NEW DELHI, March 28 – The rate of increase in the population of tiger in the North-east has surpassed the national estimate, with the region marking a 48 per cent increase against the all India average of 12 per cent. Population of the big cat has reached 143 in Assam, while in the rest of the North Eastern States, the population has remained stable.
The tiger population in the country has risen to 1706 compared to 1411 in 2006 – a 12 pc increase that excludes the big cats of Sundarbans, the latest Tiger Census said.
In comparison, the tiger population in the hills of North-east and Brahmaputra Flood Plains has increased to 148 from 100 recorded in 2006. Tiger Census is held every four years.
Thanks to the conservation efforts, the population has marked an increasing trend in Assam. Mizoram, the population of the endangered species has remained stable. Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh are the two States where the population of tigers has decreased.
According to the latest estimate, the total area occupied by tigers in Assam has increased to 2206 sq km from 1164 sq km in 2006. In Mizoram, the population of the big cat has remained stable at five, while there was no data available for Arunachal Pradesh.
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, however, waved the red flag, pointing out that the tiger population in the North-east was a matter of concern, while nationwide the over-all scenario was grim. In Assam, the famous Manas National Park has poor tiger density, the Minister said.
Ramesh was releasing the All India Tiger Estimation Exercise for 2010 here this afternoon in presence of Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Union Minister for Water Resources, Salman Khursid.
The census was released at the inaugural session of the three-day International Tiger Conference on Monday. The international conference on tiger conservation and global workshop on implementation of the Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP) is being addressed by vice president of World Bank, Isabel Guerrero, besides MP, former chairman of the Task Force for creating Project Tiger, Dr. Karan Singh.
The Minister further said that hydropower and irrigation projects posed a major threat to tiger conservation. He cited the example of hydropower projects in Bhutan, which have impacted tiger corridors in India.
Referring to Arunachal Pradesh, the Minister underlined the need to protect the biodiversity in the State, where maximum number of hydropower projects are coming up.
Earlier, releasing the ‘India Tiger Estimate 2010’ Jairam Ramesh said “the mid-point range” of tigers in the country is 1706. The previous census in 2006 did not cover Sundarbans
“This figure at 1636 is a 12 per cent increase of 1411 and is welcome news,” Ramesh said, admitting that there have been higher than normal tiger mortality figures in 2009 and 2010.
“The most positive news has been reported from Naxal-affected Nagarjuna Sagar Tiger Reserve in Andhra Pradesh. We have estimated the number of tigers there to be 60,” the Minister said.
There is positive news from other Naxal-affected reserves including Indravati (Chattisgarh), Simlipal (Orissa), Valmiki (Bihar), Palamau (Jharkhand), he said.
India currently has 39 tiger reserves, representing around one-third of the country’s high density forest area.
The new finding of the 2010 National Tiger Assessment is that most of tiger source sites continue to maintain viable tiger population. There was evidence of new areas populated by tigers like Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary and Shivpuri National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
The assessment also points out that the area occupied by tigers outside protected areas has gone down considerably, highlighting the need for securing corridors for tigers to move between source sites.
assam tribune
The tiger population in the country has risen to 1706 compared to 1411 in 2006 – a 12 pc increase that excludes the big cats of Sundarbans, the latest Tiger Census said.
In comparison, the tiger population in the hills of North-east and Brahmaputra Flood Plains has increased to 148 from 100 recorded in 2006. Tiger Census is held every four years.
Thanks to the conservation efforts, the population has marked an increasing trend in Assam. Mizoram, the population of the endangered species has remained stable. Madhya Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh are the two States where the population of tigers has decreased.
According to the latest estimate, the total area occupied by tigers in Assam has increased to 2206 sq km from 1164 sq km in 2006. In Mizoram, the population of the big cat has remained stable at five, while there was no data available for Arunachal Pradesh.
Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, however, waved the red flag, pointing out that the tiger population in the North-east was a matter of concern, while nationwide the over-all scenario was grim. In Assam, the famous Manas National Park has poor tiger density, the Minister said.
Ramesh was releasing the All India Tiger Estimation Exercise for 2010 here this afternoon in presence of Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission, Montek Singh Ahluwalia and Union Minister for Water Resources, Salman Khursid.
The census was released at the inaugural session of the three-day International Tiger Conference on Monday. The international conference on tiger conservation and global workshop on implementation of the Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP) is being addressed by vice president of World Bank, Isabel Guerrero, besides MP, former chairman of the Task Force for creating Project Tiger, Dr. Karan Singh.
The Minister further said that hydropower and irrigation projects posed a major threat to tiger conservation. He cited the example of hydropower projects in Bhutan, which have impacted tiger corridors in India.
Referring to Arunachal Pradesh, the Minister underlined the need to protect the biodiversity in the State, where maximum number of hydropower projects are coming up.
Earlier, releasing the ‘India Tiger Estimate 2010’ Jairam Ramesh said “the mid-point range” of tigers in the country is 1706. The previous census in 2006 did not cover Sundarbans
“This figure at 1636 is a 12 per cent increase of 1411 and is welcome news,” Ramesh said, admitting that there have been higher than normal tiger mortality figures in 2009 and 2010.
“The most positive news has been reported from Naxal-affected Nagarjuna Sagar Tiger Reserve in Andhra Pradesh. We have estimated the number of tigers there to be 60,” the Minister said.
There is positive news from other Naxal-affected reserves including Indravati (Chattisgarh), Simlipal (Orissa), Valmiki (Bihar), Palamau (Jharkhand), he said.
India currently has 39 tiger reserves, representing around one-third of the country’s high density forest area.
The new finding of the 2010 National Tiger Assessment is that most of tiger source sites continue to maintain viable tiger population. There was evidence of new areas populated by tigers like Kuno-Palpur Wildlife Sanctuary and Shivpuri National Park in Madhya Pradesh.
The assessment also points out that the area occupied by tigers outside protected areas has gone down considerably, highlighting the need for securing corridors for tigers to move between source sites.
assam tribune
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