Par panel asks env ministry to ensure tiger conservation areas meet global standards

A parliamentary panel has asked the environment ministry to take steps to ensure that tiger conservation areas in the country meet global standards and poaching of tigers is effectively checked.

The recommendation from the panel comes after a recent survey of current management methodologies at 112 sites located in 11 tiger-range countries, including India, found that only 13 per cent of the tiger conservation areas met the global standards of the accreditation system -- the 'Conservation Assured|Tiger Standards (CA|TS)'.

The department-related parliamentary standing committee on science and technology and environment and forest has made the recommendation in its 313th report of Demands for Grants (2018-19) of the environment ministry.

The report said the surveyed area is home to approximately 70 per cent of the world's wild tigers and at least one-third of these areas are at risk of losing their tigers and most of these sites are in southeast Asia.

It also stated that basic needs such as encroachment against poaching, engaging local communities and managing conflict between people and wildlife remained weak in all the surveyed areas.

"The Committee feels that the concerns raised...are applicable to the tiger conservation areas in India too," the report said.

The panel recommends that the ministry should take all necessary measures to ensure that tiger conservation areas in the country meet global standards and poaching of tigers is effectively checked, the committee chaired by Congress leader Anand Sharma said.

The survey is the first and largest rapid assessment of site-based tiger conservation across Asia and has been driven by 11 conservation organisations and tiger-range governments that are part of the CA|TS coalition