Tiger Conservation in India: Socio-Economic and Political Context

Recent research published in the Science journal highlights the expansion of tiger habitats in India from 2006 to 2018, noting a 30% increase in occupied areas. This expansion showcases a cohabitation with humans, involving approximately 60 million people in 45% of tiger-occupied regions.

Study Overview

• The study evaluates trends in tiger occupancy concerning socio-economic and political factors.
• Utilized data from four tiger population estimation cycles (2006-2018).
• Explores the debate between people-free spaces versus co-existence for tiger conservation.

Key Findings

• Shared habitats, often economically prosperous, benefit from tiger-related tourism and government schemes.
• 25% of tiger habitats are in core reserve areas, 20% in buffer zones, and 10% in corridors.
• People-free areas support 85% of breeding tiger populations, essential for maintaining source-sink dynamics.

Conservation Strategies

• Emphasis on land-sparing (people-free) and land-sharing (co-existence) approaches.
• Importance of eco-tourism and incentivized relocation for sustainable cohabitation.
• Challenges in regions like Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Jharkhand due to socio-economic issues and insurgencies.

Policy and Legal Framework

• Compliance with Forest Rights Act, 2006, and Wildlife Protection Act, 2006, for relocations.
• Recent guidelines emphasize legal adherence to avoid conflicts.

Tiger Population Statistics

• India hosts 75% of the world’s tiger population, with 3,682 tigers as of 2022.
• 53 reserves cover an area of 75,796 sq km.
• Concentrations in Shivalik Hills, Gangetic Plains, Central Indian and Eastern Ghats, and Western Ghats.