Tiger reserves of India

The tiger reserves in India were set up as a part of Project Tiger initiated in 1973 and are administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority of Government of India. As of March 2024, there are 55 protected areas that have been designated as tiger reserves. As of 2023, there were 3,682 wild tigers in India, which is almost 75% of the world's wild tiger population.

Goal

As per the section 38 of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, the state governments are responsible preparing a Tiger Conservation Plan which includes planning and management of notified areas and maintaining the requisite competent staff to ensure the protection of the tiger reserve and providing inputs for maintaining a viable population of tigers, co-predators and prey animals.^[1]^[2]

Tiger population

In 2006, it was estimated that there were 1,411 tigers living in the wild, the lowest ever recorded.^[3] The 2010 National Tiger Assessment estimated the total population of wild tigers in India at 1,706. As per Ministry of Environment and Forests, the wild tiger population in India stood at 2,226 in 2014 with an increase of 30.5% since the 2010 estimate.^[4]

In 2018, according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority, there were an estimated 2,967 wild tigers in existence in India. The wild tiger population increased to 3,682 as of 2022.^[5] As India is home to majority of the global wild tiger population, the increase in population of tigers in India played a major role in driving up global populations as well; the number of wild tigers globally rose from 3,159 in 2010 to 3,890 in 2016 according to World Wildlife Fund and Global Tiger Forum.^[6]

Tiger reserves

Tiger reserves were set up as a part of Project Tiger initiated in 1973 and are administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority of Government of India. Tiger reserves consist of a core area which includes part(s) of protected areas such as a national park or a wildlife sanctuary and a buffer zone which is a mix of forested and non-forested land. Project tiger is aimed at performing the necessary activities to ensure viability of tiger population in the core area and to promote a balance between the existence of people and animals in the buffer zones.^[7]

In 1973, nine protected areas were initially designated as tiger reserves. By the late 1980s, the initial nine reserves covering an area of 9,115 km² (3,519 sq mi) had been increased to 15 reserves covering an area of 24,700 km² (9,500 sq mi). More than 1100 tigers were estimated to inhabit the reserves by 1984.^[8] By 1997, 23 tiger reserves encompassed an area of 33,000 km² (13,000 sq mi).^[9] As of March 2024, there are 55 protected areas that have been designated as tiger reserves.^[1]

List of tiger reserves^[10]^[11]
Name	Inclusion	Last Notified	State	Tiger population (2023)^[5]	Core area (km²)	Buffer area (km²)	Total area (km²)
Bandipur	1973–74	2007	Karnataka	150	872.24	584.06	1,456.3
Corbett	1973–74	2010	Uttarakhand	260	821.99	466.32	1,288.31
Kanha	1973–74	2007	Madhya Pradesh	105	917.43	1,134.36	2,051.79
Manas	1973–74	2008	Assam	58	526.22	2,310.88	2,837.10
Melghat	1973–74	2007	Maharashtra	57	1,500.49	1,268.03	2,768.52
Palamau	1973–74	2012	Jharkhand	1	414.08	715.85	1,129.93
Ranthambore	1973–74	2007	Rajasthan	57	1,113.36	297.92	1,411.29
Similipal	1973–74	2007	Odisha	16	1,194.75	1,555.25	2,750
Sunderbans	1973–74	2007	West Bengal	100	1,699.62	885.27	2,584.89
Periyar	1978–79	2007	Kerala	30	881	44	925
Sariska	1978–79	2007	Rajasthan	19	881.11	332.23	1,213.34
Buxa	1982–83	2009	West Bengal	1	390.58	367.32	757.90
Indravati	1982–83	2009	Chhattisgarh	1	1,258.37	1,540.70	2,799.07
Namdapha	1982–83	1987	Arunachal Pradesh	1	1,807.82	245.00	2,052.82
Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam	1982–83	2007	Andhra Pradesh	58	2,595.72	700.59	3,296.31
Dudhwa	1987–88	2010	Uttar Pradesh	135	1,093.79	1,107.98	2,201.77
Kalakad-Mundanthurai	1988–89	2007	Tamil Nadu	5	895.00	706.54	1,601.54
Valmiki	1989–90	2012	Bihar	54	598.45	300.93	899.38
Pench	1992–93	2007	Madhya Pradesh	77	411.33	768.30	1,179.63
Tadoba-Andhari	1993–94	2007	Maharashtra	97	625.82	1,101.77	1,727.59
Bandhavgarh	1993–94	2007	Madhya Pradesh	135	716.9	820.03	1,536.93
Panna	1994–95	2007	Madhya Pradesh	55	576.13	1,021.97	1,598.10
Dampa	1994–95	2007	Mizoram	0	500	488	988
Bhadra	1998–99	2007	Karnataka	28	492.46	571.83	1,064.29
Pench (MH)	1998–99	2007	Maharashtra	48	257.26	483.96	741.22
Pakke	1999–2000	2012	Arunachal Pradesh	6	683.45	515	1,198.45
Nameri	1999–2000	2000	Assam	3	320	144	464
Satpura	1999–2000	2007	Madhya Pradesh	50	1,339.26	794.04	2,133.31
Anamalai	2008–09	2007	Tamil Nadu	16	958.59	521.28	1,479.87
Udanti–Sitanadi	2008–09	2009	Chhattisgarh	1	851.09	991.45	1,842.54
Satkosia	2008–09	2007	Odisha	0	523.61	440.26	963.87
Kaziranga	2008–09	2007	Assam	104	625.58	548	1,173.58
Achanakmar	2008–09	2009	Chhattisgarh	5	626.19	287.82	914.02
Kali	2008–09	2007	Karnataka	17	814.88	282.63	1,097.51
Sanjay Dhubri	2008–09	2011	Madhya Pradesh	16	812.57	861.93	1,674.5
Mudumalai	2008–09	2007	Tamil Nadu	114	321.00	367.59	688.59
Nagarhole	2008–09	2007	Karnataka	141	643.35	562.41	1,205.76
Parambikulam	2008–09	2009	Kerala	31	390.89	252.77	643.66
Sahyadri	2009–10	2012	Maharashtra	0	612.00	565.45	1,165.57
Biligiri Ranganatha Temple	2010–11	2007	Karnataka	37	359.10	215.72	574.82
Kawal	2012–13	2012	Telangana	0	892.23	1,123.21	2,015.44
Sathyamangalam	2013–14	2013	Tamil Nadu	85	793.49	614.91	1,408.40
Mukandra Hills	2013–14	2013	Rajasthan	1	417.17	342.82	759.99
Nawegaon–Nagzira	2013–14	2015	Maharashtra	11	653.67	1,241.27	1,894.94
Amrabad	2014	2015	Telangana	12	2,166.37	445.02	2,611.39
Pilibhit	2014	2014	Uttar Pradesh	63	602.79	127.45	730.25
Bor	2014	2012	Maharashtra	9	138.12	678.15	816.27
Rajaji	2015	2015	Uttarakhand	54	819.54	255.63	1,075.17
Orang	2016	2016	Assam	16	79.28	413.18	492.46
Kamlang	2016	2017	Arunachal Pradesh	0	671	112	783
Srivilliputhur–Megamalai	2021	2021	Tamil Nadu	12	641.86	374.7	1,016.57
Ramgarh Vishdhari	2022	2022	Rajasthan	1	481.91	1,019.99	1,501.90
Ranipur	2022	2022	Uttar Pradesh	NA	230.31	299.05	529.36
Veerangana Durgavati	2023	2023	Madhya Pradesh	NA	1,414	925.12	2,339.12
Dholpur-Karauli	2023	2023	Rajasthan	NA	599.64	0	599.64

Amangarh Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh is a buffer zone of Jim Corbett National Park and may not be regarded as a separate tiger reserve. It has a buffer zone of 80.6 km² (31.1 sq mi) but no core area of critical tiger habitat.^[12]^[13]

References

^ ^a ^b Tiger reserves (Report). National Tiger Conservation Authority. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
^ "Project Tiger" (PDF). Government of India. Retrieved 22 January 2016.
^ "India's tiger population sees 33% increase". BBC. 2019.
^ "Tiger Estimate in India" (PDF). Public Information Brochure. Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India. 28 March 2011. p. 9. Retrieved 21 June 2011.
^ ^a ^b Qureshi, Q.; Jhala, Y. V.; Yadav, S. P. & Mallick, A. (2023). Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India 2022 (PDF) (Report). New Delhi, Dehradun: National Tiger Conservation Authority & Wildlife Institute of India.
^ "2967 – What the new global Tiger number means". WWF. 2016.
^ "Project Tiger". National Tiger Conservation Authority. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
^ Panwar, H. S. (1987). "Project Tiger: The reserves, the tigers, and their future". In Tilson, R. L.; Sel, U. S. (eds.). Tigers of the world: the biology, biopolitics, management, and conservation of an endangered species. Park Ridge, N.J.: Minnesota Zoological Garden, IUCN/SSC Captive Breeding Group, IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group. pp. 110–117. ISBN 978-0-815-51133-5.
^ Thapar, V. (1999). "The tragedy of the Indian tiger: starting from scratch". In Seidensticker, J.; Christie, S.; Jackson, P. (eds.). Riding the Tiger. Tiger Conservation in human-dominated landscapes. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 296–306. ISBN 0-521-64057-1.
^ "Tiger Reserves of India". Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Government of India. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
^ MEE summary report (PDF) (Report). National Tiger Conservation Authority. Retrieved 1 April 2024.
^ "Tiger Reserves". Wildlife Institute of India. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
^ "Tiger Reserves". National Tiger Conservation Authority. Retrieved 19 January 2021.