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24 November 2020.
Introduction:
The Pilibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) and the Forest department of Uttar Pradesh have bagged the first-ever international award, TX2, for doubling the number of tigers in four years against a target of 10 years.
Highlights:
- PTR was the first to receive the award among 13 tiger range countries.
- It achieved this goal in just four years from 2014, when it had 25 tigers which went up to 65 in 2018.
- The award was virtually presented to the principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) of the state, Sunil Pandey, by UNDP’s (United Nations Development Program) head of ecosystems and biodiversity, Mindori Paxton.
- The global target of doubling of the tiger population was set in 2010 by the partners in TX2 award — UNDP, Global Tiger Forum, International Union for Conservation of Nature, World Wide Fund for Nature, Conservation Assured/Tiger Standards and the Lion’s Share.
- Naveen Khandelwal, deputy director of PTR, had applied for this award in September this year after the (NTCA) National Tiger Conservation Authority released this year’s the state-wise figures of the tiger estimation which was based on the census conducted in 2018 in all tiger reserves across the country.
- No other tiger reserve among all the 13 tiger range countries could succeed in doubling the big cat population in a span of 10 years.
- The success is attributed to rigorous patrolling with constant use of Monitoring System for Tigers-Intensive Protection and Ecological Status (M-STrIPE), stringent action against wildlife criminals and poachers and forest and grassland management.
- The efforts of the forest staff, local stakeholders and wildlife enthusiasts have paid off well in tiger conservation.
Why was Pilibhit Tiger Reserve chosen for the award?
- The Pilibhit Tiger Reserve was chosen based on the Tiger Census conducted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority in 2018.
- According to the census, the reserve has 57 tigers.
- Around 40 tigers have grown in a short span of four years.
- This was the main reason to consider the tiger reserve for the award.
What are the thirteen Tiger Range countries?
- There are thirteen tiger range countries where the tigers still roam around freely.
- The criteria of “roam around freely” is important because tigers need huge territories.
- A male tiger will require 60 to 100 square kilometres and a tigress will require 20 square kilometres.
- Of all the tigers in the world, the Siberian tigers have the largest range. Its territories span more than 10,000 square kilometres.
- The tiger range countries are India, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, China, Russia, Malaysia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam and Nepal
Global Tiger Day: July 29
Every year, the Global Tiger Day is celebrated on July 29.
Tiger Census
According to the Tiger Census of India, there are 2,967 tigers in the country. This has increased by 33% as compared to that of 2014. The tigers in India have been increasing at a rate of 6% per annum since 2006. Of all the states, Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tigers followed by Karnataka and Uttarakhand