Context: During the Wildlife Week 2025 celebrations at the Forest Research Institute (FRI), Dehradun, the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change launched five new conservation projects and four national-level wildlife monitoring programmes, including the landmark “Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves (TOTR)” Project.
About the TOTR Project
The Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves (TOTR) is a national initiative of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
It will be implemented from 2025 to 2028 with a total outlay of ₹88.7 crore, coordinated by NTCA and executed by state forest departments.
Objectives
- Reduce human–tiger conflict in areas beyond designated reserves.
- Protect dispersing tigers that move through agricultural and forested landscapes due to habitat loss and corridor shrinkage.
- Promote a landscape-level conservation model, ensuring coexistence and ecological balance while protecting human lives and livelihoods.
Key Features
1. Geographical Coverage:
- Covers 80 forest divisions across 17 tiger-range states, including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttarakhand, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, and Arunachal Pradesh.
- Focuses on buffer zones and corridors adjoining high-density tiger reserves.
2. Use of Technology:
- Deployment of AI-based early warning systems, camera traps, GPS-enabled patrolling, and data analytics to monitor tiger movements.
3. Community Participation:
- Formation of Rapid Response Teams (RRTs) with trained local youth, equipped with tranquilization gear and rescue vehicles.
- Launch of “Bagh Mitra” (Tiger Friends) and eco-education camps to build public awareness on coexistence.
4. Institutional Mechanism:
- NTCA will centrally coordinate and monitor project progress.
- Chief Wildlife Wardens (CWLWs) and State CAMPA authorities will handle state-level fund management and implementation.
Other Conservation Projects Launched
- Project Dolphin (Phase II): Focus on conservation of river and marine dolphins, including the Ganga River Dolphin and Indus Dolphin.
- Project Sloth Bear: India’s first national framework for sloth bear protection — covering habitat management, rescue, and conflict mitigation.
- Project Gharial: Aimed at recovering gharial populations in the Chambal and Gandak river ecosystems.
- Centre of Excellence for Human–Wildlife Conflict Management (CoE–HWC): Established at Sálim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History (SACON) to develop AI-based conflict prediction models and capacity-building tools.
Significance
With over 35% of India’s tiger population living outside reserves, TOTR represents a crucial step in inclusive tiger conservation.
By blending technology, community engagement, and landscape-level management, it ensures long-term sustainability of both human and wildlife ecosystems.