India's tiger population has nearly doubled in 12 years

• As per the report, Madhya Pradesh has the maximum number of tigers, followed by Karnataka.
  
• Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi released a tiger estimation report as per which India recorded 2,967 tigers, more than double the number from 1,411 in 2006.
  
• Currently, the tiger population within the reserves is 1,923 (65 percent of the total tiger population of India), the report said.
  
  

India is home to 8% of the world’s biodiversity, including 70% of the world’s tiger population, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said while releasing a report about the status of Tigers in India, ahead of Global Tigers Day.

"In 1973, there were just nine tiger reserves which have now increased to 50. It is important to know that none of these reserves are of poor quality. Either they are good or the best,” Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said.

He added, “Despite India's constraint of 2.5% of global land, 4% of rainfall and 16 % of world's human population, India is home to 8% of world's biodiversity, which includes 70% of the world's tiger population.”

Currently, the tiger population within the reserves is 1,923 (65 percent of the total tiger population of India), the report said.

The 'Status of Tigers, Co-predators and Prey in India report for 2018' showed that out of the 50 tiger reserves in the country, three reserves - Mizoram's Dampa reserve, West Bengal's Buxa reserve and Jharkhand's Palamau reserve - have no tigers left.

According to the population estimation of tigers in reserves for 2018-19, Corbett has 231 tigers, followed by Nagarhole and Bandipore reserves in Karnataka with 127 and 126 tigers respectively, reported PTI.

India is ready to work with other tiger range countries
According to Javadekar, India is ready to take a leadership role and work with all tiger range countries for the management of the reserves and the conservation of the big cat.

There are currently 13 tiger range countries — India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.

According to the report, in the state-wise distribution of tigers, Madhya Pradesh was found with maximum tigers at 526 followed by Karnataka at 524 and 442 in Uttarakhand.

Last year Prime Minister Narendra Modi had released the four-yearly tiger census report according to which the tiger population in the country had grown from 1,400 in 2014 to 2,967 in 2019.

(With inputs from PTI)

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