PROJECT TIGER

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Context: In the 50th year of ‘Project Tiger’ in India, the Centre is considering translocating a few big cats to Cambodia, where the species have become extinct in the last decade.

Details: 

Background:

• India, following the success of first-of-its-kind transcontinental translocation of the African Cheetahs last September, signed a memorandum of understanding with Cambodia in November to assist it with “all technical details and knowledge’’ regarding the reintroduction of tiger in the country.

About Project Tiger:

• ‘Project Tiger’, which began in 1973 at the Corbett national park, completes 50 years on April 1 this year.

The numbers:

• At the time of its launch in 1973, ‘Project Tiger’ included nine tiger reserves spread over 18,278 sq km. Today, there are 53 tiger reserves covering more than 75,000 sq km (approximately 2.4% of the country’s geographical area) across India.
• With the current population of about 3,000 tigers, India harbours more than 70% of global wild tiger population, which is increasing at an annual rate of 6%.
• The success of India in conserving and doubling its wild tiger population in a span of about 12 years, much before the targeted year of 2022, as per St. Petersburg Declaration, is commendable, especially when the tiger is a highly threatened animal globally due to the high, illegal demand of its body parts.
• India has the largest number of CAT-accredited tiger reserves in the world at 17.
• Compensation for voluntary village relocation has also been enhanced from Rs 10 lakh per family to Rs 15 lakh in order to aid tiger conservation.

Other commemoration events:

• The ministry also announced a three-day international summit to commemorate 50 years of ‘Project Tiger’ at Mysuru in Karnataka.
• At the event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the much awaited tiger estimation (census) data for 2022 — the fifth cycle assessment of Tiger population in the country.
• Apart from the latest tiger estimation numbers, the ministry will also release “Management Effective Evaluation (2022) of Tiger Reserves, Amrit Kal ka Vision for Tiger conservation and the release of a Rs 50 commemorative coin on ‘Project Tiger’.

MUST READ: https://www.iasgyan.in/daily-current-affairs/tiger-reserves-in-india 

https://indianexpress.com/article/india/50-years-of-project-tiger-india-considers-translocating-a-few-big-cats-to-cambodia-8517687/