"India and Nepal used to conduct surveys without consulting each other, but this census will provide us with the data from both sides," said Ghanashyam Gurung, conservation programme director for Nepal at the conservation group World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Covering the Tarai Arc region, which is a 950-kilometre long forest area between India and Nepal, conservationists and officials will comb through images from hundreds of cameras set up in this region.
"The census results will enrich our understanding. If we find that the number has increased, then we will know the reasons. In case the population is on decline, the survey will help us develop effective strategies," he said.
The tiger population has gone down drastically from 100,000 in 1900 to about 3,200 now, according to data available with WWF. There are around 1,850 Royal Bengal tigers living in the wild, including around 1,400 in India and around 150 in Nepal.
