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Tiger Census in India: Key Highlights of the Latest Tiger Census - UPSC Notes

Last Updated on Feb 20, 2025
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“Tiger Census" is an important and elaborate exercise to count the population of tigers in India. It has been carried out every four years. Such a scheduled exercise provides crucial data regarding the demographic, distributional, and health problems of the tiger population for guiding conservation policies and measures. Advanced techniques like camera trapping and line transect surveys are strictly followed for accuracy and scientific validation in the census. The Tiger Census is of utmost importance to guard one of the most respected species in India, which is also endangered.

This topic is related to the Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity, and Climate Change section of General Studies Paper III in the UPSC Mains exam. The topic is also generally relevant to the Prelims exam in the General Studies syllabus that occasionally has questions on current events, environmental conservation, and biodiversity.

GS Paper

General Studies Paper III

Topics for UPSC Prelims

Project Tiger, Tiger reserves, Human-wildlife conflict, Wildlife conservation

Topics for UPSC Mains

Impact of conservation efforts on the tiger population in India

Tiger Census in India

The "Tiger Census" in India, officially called the All India Tiger Estimation, is a comprehensive survey conducted every four years to estimate the population and distribution of tigers across the country. The National Tiger Conservation Authority, in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India, conducts the survey. It uses more recent methods such as camera trapping and line transect surveys in addition to the M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers-Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) application. The census covers more than 380,000 square kilometers of forest habitat, providing population data that is accurate but also informs policy decisions and conservation efforts critical to protecting and managing this endangered species. Estimated at around 3,170 tigers in India, the 2022 census echoed success in tiger conservation for the country.

Read the article on Tiger Conservation in India!

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Latest Tiger Census

The fifth iteration of the Tiger Census was done as All India Tiger Estimation in the year 2022. This exercise involved a wide field operation coordinated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). The project covered over 380,000 square kilometers of varied habitats. With state-of-the-art technology such as the M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers-Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) application, the census could collect rigorous data with high level analysis. The 2022 census estimates India's population of tigers to be about 3,170. This is yet another increase after the 2,967 that were recorded in 2018, which shows a continued growth.

Key Highlights of the Tiger Census 2022

Some of the key highlights of the Tiger Census conducted in 2025 include:

  • Number of Tigers in India: According to the estimation from the 2022 census, the population of tigers is around 3,170 and is positive when compared with the count during the census of 2018.
  • State-wise Distribution:
  • Madhya Pradesh: In terms of tigers, it leads at a count of over 526 in the country.
  • Karnataka: It has 524, a good example of the effectiveness of the conservation activity.
  • Uttarakhand and Maharashtra: These states portray sizable tiger populations, which further supports the fact that national conservation efforts are a success.
  • New areas: Census showed a possibility of the presence of tigers in previously unreported areas. This indicates successful dispersal from traditional reserves as a result of better protection measures.
  • Technological Integration: AI-driven camera traps, GPS-based tracking, and the M-STrIPES application helped in collecting accurate data with minimal human error.

Read the article on the Importance of Tiger Conservation!

Need for Conserving Tigers

Tigers are considered keystone species that ensure ecological balance. They protect vast forests that provide shelter to thousands of species and their resultant ecosystems. Conservation of tigers is important for preserving biodiversity, supporting ecosystem services, and retaining genetic diversity. However, it has far more cultural and socio-economic value for India adding to the ecological development of tourism, and providing livelihoods for the surrounding communities. Tiger conservation can be compatible with SDGs-life on land, climate action, and poverty reduction.

Read the article on the Global Tiger Forum!

Important Facts Related to Tigers

Some important facts associated with tigers are as follows:

  • Scientific Name: Panthera tigris
  • Indian subspecies: Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris)
  • Habitat: Occupies extensive ranges of forests including tropical moist evergreen, tropical dry deciduous and mangrove forests of Sundarbans, India.
  • Protected Areas: There are 53 tiger reserves that span more than 72,749 km² of protected habitat in India.
  • Role in the Ecosystem: Since the tiger is an apex predator, the tiger will maintain healthy balances within an ecosystem by controlling populations of its prey species.

Threats to Tigers

There are many threats to tigers despite robust efforts in conservation.

  • Habitat Loss and Fragmentation: Widespread expansion of agriculture and construction of infrastructure have reduced the range of the tiger to very small sizes, making genetic isolation highly probable.
  • Poaching: Continued poaching of tigers for the international demand for tiger products in medicines and luxury products remains one of the major population threats.
  • Man-tiger conflict: Humans encroaching upon tiger territories increased at large. This leads to retaliatory kills upon tigers at large.
  • Climate: Climatic changes/ variations such as those projected for mangrove habitats in Sundarbans affect prey availability and overall habitat stability.

Read the article on the Periyar Tiger Reserve!

Indian Government Initiatives to Protect Tigers

The Indian government has endeavored in several ways to protect and conserve tigers.

  • Project Tiger: This is the flagship conservation program, initiated in 1973. It ensures that viable population numbers survive tigers in natural habitats and reduced extinction risks. It has been pretty useful in providing a structured approach towards tiger conservation.
  • National Tiger Conservation Authority: This was established in the year 2005. It gave statutory power to Project Tiger for its scientific management and provided it with legal support when needed.
  • Tiger Reserves: There are 53 tiger reserves spread over the entire country. They protect the natural habitat for breeding tiger populations and subsequently increasing their population. These work towards maintaining ecological corridors and they avert genetic bottlenecks as well.
  • M-STrIPES: The most modern scientific aid to enable real-time tracking through forest guards about movement and condition of habitat thus increasing the measure of protection. It comes in the shape of the tiger-Intensive Protection and Ecological Status monitoring system.
  • Community involvement: The approaches are taken at the grass roots level to not only educate them but also actively involve the local population in tiger protection efforts, besides engaging them in alternative livelihoods that compensate them to reduce human-wildlife conflict and loss of cattle.
  • Awareness Campaigns: The government and NGOs conduct campaigns to spread awareness about the importance of conserving tigers and thus gain public support and cooperation.

Read the editorial on the Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve!

Tiger Reserves of India

The tiger reserves play a key role in saving the tigers from extinction and guarding their habitats as well. Of which some notable ones are:

  • Bandhavgarh National Park, Madhya Pradesh: One spot known for the good population of tigers and rich heritage. It indeed proves as one of the best success stories, while discussing the aspects of the conservancy of Tigers.
  • Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand: Oldest national park that was earmarked as the first tiger reserve under Project Tiger. It remains a significant site for tiger conservation and ecotourism.
  • Bandipur National Park (Karnataka): Bandipur is an alternate space with quality wildlife and increased efforts toward conservation, which have reached the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
  • Sundarbans Tiger Reserve (West Bengal): This is the world's largest mangrove forest-the home of the 'swamp tiger.' Its challenge lies in an estuarine environment.

Download the Key Takeaways PDF for Tiger Census!

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Tiger Census UPSC FAQs

The National Tiger Conservation Authority, in association with the Wildlife Institute of India, publishes the tiger census report.

The first census of tigers in India was conducted in 1972. It was since then that census remained a formal and systematic initiation of efforts for monitoring and conservation of tiger population.

As of 2024, India has the highest population of tigers in Madhya Pradesh. It reflects good conservation strategies and effective habitat management.

Camera trapping, pugmark surveys and line transect techniques are the methods followed in Tiger Census. M-STrIPES mobile application is used for data collection and analysis

This process of counting tiger populations occurs after every four years, and thereby the status regarding the population is always updated.

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