Context: As per the latest large-scale assessment of Tiger population, Assam’s Kaziranga Tiger Reserve has the third-highest density of tigers in India.
Relevance of the Topic: Prelims: Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve; Tiger Conservation initiatives; Key facts about Tigers.
Kaziranga Tiger Reserve records third-highest Tiger Density in India
- Assam’s Kaziranga Tiger Reserve has secured its position as India’s third-highest tiger density hotspot.
- The tiger population in the reserve has increased to 148, and the density of tigers stands at 18.65 tigers per 100 square kilometers, trailing only after:
- Bandipur Tiger Reserve (19.83) in Karnataka
- Corbett National Park (19.56) in Uttarakhand
- The implementation of advanced technology, such as M-STrIPES, Drones, and Electronic Eye surveillance systems has significantly improved monitoring, anti-poaching measures, movement tracking, and habitat monitoring, leading to better data.
Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve
- Location: Assam
- 70% of the area of National Park is covered by grasslands.
- The park area is circumscribed by the Brahmaputra River, which forms the northern and eastern boundaries and Mora Diphlu, which forms the southern boundary. Other notable rivers within the park are the Diphlu and Mora Dhansiri.
- Kaziranga has an estimated 2613 one-horned rhinos and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
- Key Fauna: Tiger, Leopard, Indian Elephant, Wild water buffalo, Swamp deer, Sloth Bear, Hoolock Gibbon.
Key Facts about Tiger
- Tiger is an umbrella species. Its conservation automatically ensures the conversation of a large number of flora and fauna and entire ecosystems.
- India is home to 75% of the global tiger population.
- The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) conducts a tiger census across India every 4 years.
- Latest Tiger Census Report (2022): India has 3682 tigers. (2967 in 2018)
- Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tigers (785) in India, followed by Karnataka and Uttarakhand.
- Conservation status:
- IUCN Red List: Endangered
- Wildlife Protection Act: Schedule 1
- CITES: Appendix 1