52 Years of Project Tiger

A Milestone in India's Wildlife Conservation (1973–2025)

Project Tiger: An Overview
Launch and Growth: Project Tiger, launched in 1973,
has evolved from a forest bureaucracy-administered
initiative to a statutory category in 2006, becoming a
global success story in conservation.

Expansion of Tiger Reserves: From nine reserves in

1973, India now boasts 58 reserves across 18 states,
covering 84487.83 sq km of the country’s land area.
➢ Launched: 1973 by PM Indira Gandhi

➢ Administered by: National Tiger

Conservation Authority (NTCA)
➢ Aim: Preserve viable tiger
population in natural habitats.
➢ India hosts ~75% of global
tiger population
 National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA):
• The NTCA is a statutory body under the Ministry of
Environment, Forests, and Climate Change. It was
constituted under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 to
monitor and strengthen tiger conservation efforts across India.
• Key Role:
• The NTCA conducts the All-India Tiger Estimation every
four years, providing crucial data on tiger populations and
habitat quality.
• As per the 2022 report, India is home to 3,167
tigers(minimum).
Process of Creating a Tiger Reserve:
Identification of Suitable Areas: The state government identifies areas with a viable
tiger population and appropriate habitats based on ecological assessments, including
studies on vegetation and prey base.
Proposal Preparation: A detailed proposal, including maps, ecological studies, and
management plans, is prepared by the state government and submitted to the NTCA for
review.
Approval and Notification: After NTCA approval, the proposal is forwarded to
the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for final
consideration. A preliminary notification is issued under the Wildlife Protection Act,
1972, declaring the area as a tiger reserve, followed by a final notification after
addressing objections.
De-notification: As per Section 38W of the Wildlife Protection Act, no state
government can de-notify a tiger reserve except in the public interest, requiring approval
from the Tiger Conservation Authority and the National Board for Wildlife.
What is Project Tiger?
Project Tiger was launched by the Indian government
on April 1, 1973, as a conservation initiative aimed at protecting
the country's rapidly dwindling tiger population.
At the time, India’s tiger population was critically low,
primarily due to rampant hunting and poaching.
In response to the alarming tiger population decline, Prime Minister
Indira Gandhi unveiled Project Tiger in 1973, after the government
received recommendations from a task force.
Initial Launch: The program was officially launched at Jim
Corbett National Park, and initially, nine tiger reserves were
established across different states.
Background:
Declining Tiger Population: Before Independence, India was home to
around 40,000 tigers.
However, by the 1970s, the population had plummeted to
below 2,000 due to excessive hunting, poaching, and habitat loss.
Endangered Status: In 1970, the International Union for
Conservation of Nature (IUCN) declared the tiger an endangered
species.
This was confirmed by a 1972 census which estimated the tiger population
in India to be a mere 1,800.
Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: To address the growing crisis of poaching
and hunting, the Indian government passed the Wildlife Protection
Act in 1972, which laid the legal foundation for tiger conservation and
wildlife protection.
Every year on July 29, International Tiger Day is celebrated to
highlight the importance of tiger conservation across the globe.
 Key Stats and Facts:
• Total Tiger Reserves in India: 58 (as of March 2025).
• Number of Tigers in India: According to data released
on International Tiger Day (July 29, 2023), India's tiger population
rose from 2,967 in 2018 to 3,682 in 2022, a 6% annual increase. With
this increase, India now hosts about 75% of the world’s wild tiger
population.
• Tiger Census: The government conducts a tiger census every 4 years,
and the 2022 report estimated that the average tiger
population is 3,682, with a peak of 3,925 tigers in the country.
 Global Impact of Project Tiger :
• A major milestone came when India achieved its target of
doubling tiger numbers, four years ahead of schedule of 2010
‘St. The Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation
was held in Russia.
• In 2023, the country further cemented its leadership in
conservation by launching the International Big Cats
Alliance to protect big cats worldwide.
• Habitat: The largest population is in India, with smaller groups
in Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Myanmar.
• India’s Habitat Contribution: India accounts for
over 2.3% of the global habitat for tigers.
 Key States with High Tiger Numbers:
Madhya Pradesh’s Role in Tiger Conservation
1. The state leads the country in tiger population, with 785 tigers, which is
a 50% increase over the last 4 years.

Other Key States with High Tiger Numbers:

[Link] Pradesh: 785 tigers
[Link]: 563 tigers
[Link]: 560 tigers
[Link]: 444 tigers
Progress and Challenges:
• Growth of Tiger Population:
• Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan faced a major setback when tigers were
wiped out by poaching in the reserve, making headlines in 2005.
• This led to a national outcry and prompted further reforms in tiger
conservation.
• Reconstitution of Project Tiger (2005):
• In response to the crisis at Sariska, then Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh set up a task force to reshape the future of tiger conservation.
• A year later, the government reconstituted Project Tiger and established
the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which had more
authority and resources to prevent poaching and safeguard tiger habitats.
• The NTCA was empowered to create the Tiger Protection Force and
oversee the relocation of villages that were encroaching upon protected areas.
Conservation of Tigers (Panthera Tigris):
[Link] Status: The tiger is classified as Endangered on
the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
[Link]: Tigers are listed under Schedule I of the
Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, granting them the
highest level of protection in India.
[Link] Conservation: India works closely
with neighboring countries like Bangladesh to protect
tigers in shared ecosystems such as the Sundarbans.
International Tiger Day 2025:Global Tiger Day
▪ theme “Securing the future of Tigers with Indigenous
Peoples and Local Communities at the heart”

▪ By IUCN | 29 July | Since 2010

▪ It was on this day, at the 2010 International Tiger Summit in St.

Petersburg, Governments of the 13 tiger range countries came together
to endorse Tx2 – the global goal to double the number of wild tigers by
the year 2022.
 Similipal National Park
Odisha government has recently declared Similipal Tiger Reserve as the state's second national park,
following Bhitarkanika, making it the 107th national park in India

• Similipal, located in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, is the world's only home

to wild melanistic tigers, sheltering 40 royal Bengal tigers, 25% of Odisha's
elephant population, and 104 orchid species, many of which are endemic to
the region.
• ‘rights free’ | no human activities will be allowed (845.70 sq/km) |
2,750 sq/km area will be considered as a wildlife sanctuary.
• Location: Similipal is situated in the Deccan Peninsula Biogeographic
Zone.
 Rare Melanistic Tiger
• Melanism and Melanistic Tiger: Melanism is a genetic condition where animals
produce more melanin, leading to darker or black skin, fur, or feathers.
• The Royal Bengal Tigers of STR have a unique genetic trait with higher melanin
levels, resulting in a pattern of black and yellow stripes, making them pseudo-
melanistic.
• White Tigers: White tigers are not a separate subspecies. Their white fur is due
to a genetic mutation called leucism, which reduces pigmentation, resulting in
pale-colored skin, fur, or scales.
• Golden Tigers: They are also not considered a distinct subspecies. Their golden
coloration is caused by a recessive gene called "wideband," which reduces
melanin production during hair growth.
This variation has
been observed
in Kaziranga National
Park.
Among the following Tiger
Reserves, which one has
the largest area under
“Critical Tiger Habitat”?

Nagarjunasagar
-Srisailam ( AP)
International Union for Conservation of Nature : IUCN
Estd. 1948 | HQ: Gland Switzerland | DG: Dr. Grethel Aguilar

CITES: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species

of Flaura and Fauna
Sign: 193 | 1975 CITES entered in force.
HQ: Geneva Switz. | SG: Ivonne Higuero
CITES Secretariat is housed within the United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) in Geneva.
TIMELINE: Major Milestones (1973–2025)

Year Milestone
1973 Project Tiger launched in 9 tiger reserves (e.g., Jim Corbett, Kanha, Manas)
1983 National Wildlife Action Plan adopted to support Project Tiger
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) established under Wildlife Protection Act
2006
(amendment)

2006 Forest dwellers’ rights recognized under FRA, balancing conservation & communities

India hosted the 1st Tiger Summit in St. Petersburg with 13 Tiger Range Countries (TX2 goal: double
2010
tiger population by 2022)
India launches M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers - Intensive Protection & Ecological
2018
Status)

2019 India achieves TX2 goal 4 years early – tiger population doubled from 1,411 (2006) to 2,967

2023 50 years of Project Tiger celebrated; PM Modi launched International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)

2024–25 India's tiger population at 3,167 (latest NTCA data); expansion to 58 tiger reserves
[Link] program has been one of the most successful wildlife
conservation efforts globally.
[Link], On March 8, 2025, Madhav Tiger
Reserve in Madhya Pradesh was announced as the 58th
tiger reserve in India.
[Link] Addition: On December 2, 2024, India
added its 57th tiger reserve at Ratapani Wildlife
Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh.
4. India’s 56th Newest Tiger Reserve tiger reserve
: Chhattisgarh’s Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve
One page summary
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