T-15 Or Collarwali
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Context: T-15 Or simply “Collarwali, MP’s Pench tiger reserve tigress died due to old age.
Royal Bengal Tiger:
- It forms a specific population of the Pantheratigristigris subspecies that is native to the Indian subcontinent.
- Threats: poaching, loss and fragmentation of habitat.
- IUCN Status:
- Protected under schedule 1 of Wildlife Protection Act.
Project Tiger:
- This tiger conservation programme launched in April 1973 by the Government of India during Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's tenure.
- Aim: Ensuring a viable population of Bengal tigers in their natural habitats, protecting them from extinction, and preserving areas of biological importance as a natural heritage
- From 9 tiger reserves since its formative years, the Project Tiger coverage has increased to 50 at present, spread out in 18 of our tiger range states.
- The tiger reserves are constituted on a core/buffer strategy.
- Core areas have the legal status of a national park or a sanctuary.
- Whereas, buffer or peripheral areas are a mix of forest and non-forest land, managed as a multiple use area.
- The government has set up a Tiger Protection Force to combat poachers and funded relocation of villagers to minimize human-tiger conflicts.
National Tiger Conservation Authority was established in 2005 following a recommendation of the Tiger Task Force, to reorganise management of Project Tiger and the many Tiger Reserves in India. It is the overarching body for conservation of tigers in India.
Structure of NTCA:
- Environment Minister is the Chairman of the NTCA.
- Below chairman are eight experts or professionals having qualifications and experience in wildlife conservation and welfare of people including tribals, apart from three Members of Parliament (1 Rajya Sabha, 2 Lok Sabha).
- The Inspector General of Forests, in charge of project Tiger, serves as ex-officio Member Secretary.
Functions
- Its main administrative function is to approve the Tiger Conservation Plan prepared by the State Governments and then evaluate and assess various aspects of sustainable ecology and disallow any ecologically unsustainable land use such as, mining, industry and other projects within the tiger reserves.
- As per the WLPA, every State Government has the authority to notify an area as a tiger reserve.
- However, the Tiger Conservation Plans sent by state government need to be approved by the NTCA first.
- Alternatively, Central Government via NTCA may advise the state governments to forward a proposal for creation of Tiger Reserves.
Other Functions of NTCA are as follows:
- Regulation and standardization of tourism activities
- Provide for management focus and measures for addressing conflicts of men and wild animals.
- Provide information on protection measures.
- Ensure that the tiger reserves and areas linking one protected area or tiger reserve with another protected area or tiger reserve are not diverted for ecologically unsustainable uses, except in public interest and with the approval of the National Board for Wild Life and on the advice of the Tiger Conservation Authority.
- Facilitate and support the tiger reserve management in the State.
- Ensure critical support including scientific, information technology and legal support for better implementation of the tiger conservation plan.
About Pench National Park
- Located in: India's Madhya Pradesh state, established in 1975 .
- It derives its name from the Pench River that flows through the park from north to south dividing the park into almost equal western and eastern halves.
- It was declared a sanctuary in 1965, raised to the status of national park in 1975 and enlisted as a tiger reserve in 1992.
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