Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) identifies 25 tiger reserves for priority intervention

Key facts

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) reported that 25 out of 58 tiger reserves in India are potential recipient sites requiring priority intervention due to low or absent tiger populations and low prey abundance.
• Tiger reserves currently with zero tigers include Satkosia (Odisha), Kawal (Telangana), Dampa (Northeast), Kamlang (Northeast), and Buxa (West Bengal).
• Since 2008, tiger recovery interventions have been implemented across 12 landscapes: Sariska, Panna, Sanjay Dubri, Mukundara Hills, Satkosia, Veerangana Durgavati, Rajaji, Ramgarh Vishdhari, Navegaon–Nagzira, Madhav, Sahyadri, and Similipal Tiger Reserves.
• The MoEFCC identified 13 source reserves with good tiger density and habitat, including Bandipur, Kanha, Ranthambore, and Corbett, with Corbett alone holding approximately 260 tigers.
• Protection efforts in Indravati, Udanti-Sitanadi, Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla, and Palamau reserves were disrupted by Left Wing Extremism (LWE), leading to habitat degradation and encroachment.
• Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, which currently has 56 tigers, was the first site in India where tigers were translocated from another reserve to repopulate a habitat.