Micro-level plans for tiger corridors being assessed: NTCA official

Micro-level plans for the 32 tiger corridors identified across the country are being assessed for finalisation, officials today said.

At a panel discussion held at the WWF-India premises here, Anup Kumar Nayak, member secretary of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), and other tiger experts also discussed about the man-animal conflict and steps being take to reduce it.

"The 32 tiger corridors identified, was part of the macro-level plan. And, now, the micro-level plans for these corridors are being assessed and approved," he said.

The event marked the World Ranger Day (July 31) and Global Tiger Day (July 29).

In 2010, at St Petersburg, Russia, the heads of governments of Tiger Range states, which includes India, resolved to strive to double the number of wild tigers across their global range by 2022.

They had signed the St Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation, and decided to celebrate July 29 as Global Tiger Day.

There are an estimated 2,226 tigers in the country and India has 70 per cent of the world's tiger population, according to the last tiger census.

India conducts the All India Tiger Estimation every four years, and the last census was completed in 2014.

The country had launched Project Tiger in 1973 to conserve tigers. Till now, the coverage of Project Tiger has increased from nine reserves to 50 tiger reserves spread across 18 states.

"Micro-level planning entails looking into the category of lands through which the corridor passes, as in whether it is revenue land or forest or some other category.

"Other local details are also considered in the micro-level planning," another senior official of NTCA said.

The panel later also responded to questions from the audience on man-animal conflict.

"We clearly have the standard operating procedure for dealing with cases when animals stray into human areas.

"In order to reduce the conflict, we sometimes move the tiger from the source to a low-density area or another reserve," he said.

Over 120 tiger deaths were reported last year while 31 people lost their lives in incidents involving attacks by the wild cats in 2015-16, the Rajya Sabha was informed in March last year.

"We also conduct campaigns to educate local people and villagers, as to how to respond in situations," the official said.