Madhya Pradesh

• 27 Jun 2024

Madhya Pradesh: Tiger State of India

Why in News?

Madhya Pradesh has the highest tiger population in the country. Among approximately 3,800 big cats in the wild, 785 of them are in Madhya Pradesh.

• Karnataka for a brief period between 2011 and 2018 had surpassed Madhya Pradesh for the most number of tigers.

Key Points

• The tiger census of 2022 put the population in the country between 3,682 and 3,925, out of which MP tops the list with 785 tigers followed by Karnataka (563), Uttarakhand (560) and Maharashtra (444) respectively.
• Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand tops the list with 260 tigers amongst all the tiger reserves across the country.
  • Efforts made by stakeholders including tribals and jungle dwellers besides forest officials who made remarkable progress has also led to conservation of big cat species.
• The first tiger census was conducted in 1972, which recorded the tiger population as 1,827.
  • India's tiger population has faced severe threats due to habitat loss, poaching, and human-wildlife conflict.
  • In the early 20th century, India had a robust tiger population, but by the 1970s, their numbers had diminished alarmingly.
• In response, the government launched 'Project Tiger' in 1973, which aimed at creating a network of tiger reserves across the country to provide safe habitats for tigers and to curb poaching activities.
  • Maintaining the ecological balance and biodiversity of India's forests was also an objective of the project.

Tiger Reserves

• A protected area designated for the conservation of the striped big cats (tigers) is referred to as Tiger Reserve. However, a tiger reserve may also be a national park or wildlife sanctuary.
  • For Example: The Sariska Tiger Reserve is also a national park. It is so because the place was originally created as a national park and later dedicated to tiger conservation.
• Tiger Reserves are notified by State Governments as per provisions of Section 38V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 on advice of the National Tiger Conservation Authority.
• Presently, India accommodates a total of 54 Tiger Reserves (with the most recent addition being the Dholpur-Karauli Tiger Reserve).