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India’s tiger population is rebounding after half a century of conservation efforts under Project Tiger. Last year, on its 50th anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced 3,167 wild tigers in the country, increasing by 6 percent annually. While this recovery is a significant achievement, the next challenge will be ensuring the coexistence of tigers and humans in the Anthropocene. Experts emphasize that sustainable land use planning and dialogue will be key to tiger conservation’s future.
Despite these gains, concerns about human–wildlife conflict have arisen, as a growing tiger population could lead to more interactions with people. India's government has shown dedication, spending millions on Project Tiger to protect this national symbol, but the next phase will focus on balancing tiger conservation with human needs.
Tigers in India were nearly extinct in the 20th century. In 1947, India had an estimated 40,000 tigers, but by 1972, this number dropped to 1,827 due to poaching, hunting, and habitat loss. Project Tiger, which Indira Gandhi launched in 1973 with nine reserves, has since grown to 53 covering 75,000 square kilometers. While the tiger population has rebounded, the risk of poaching and habitat loss remains. Conservation scientists use advanced tools like radio collars and camera traps to monitor and protect tiger populations, ensuring the recovery of these apex predators.
According to the data, the tiger population stood at 1,411 in 2006, 1,706 in 2010, 2,226 in 2014, 2,967 in 2018, and 3,167 in 2022.
The 2018 tiger census, released in July 2019, established the presence of 2,967 tigers in India. The animal population in the country has increased by 200 or 6.7 percent in the last four years.
Madhya Pradesh has largest population
According to the All India Tiger Estimation 2022 report, India's Project Tiger-led conservation efforts have progressed. Among 53 tiger reserves, Corbett in Uttarakhand has the highest number of tigers at 260, while Madhya Pradesh has the largest overall population with 785. This marks a recovery from 1,411 tigers in 2006 and 1,706 in 2010, highlighting ongoing conservation success.
Madhya Pradesh's success is due to effective "tiger governance," including strategic officer deployment, voluntary community relocations, and robust prey management in Kanha, with about 50 prey animals per square kilometre. The state uses the boma technique to translocate tigers from overcrowded reserves like Bandhavgarh to others like Satpura, maintaining a balanced population and reducing human-tiger conflicts. The report notes 563 tigers in six reserves in Madhya Pradesh, with 222 outside protected areas.
Despite successes, the report raises concerns about declining tiger populations in Northeast India, particularly Arunachal Pradesh, which saw a 68% drop from 29 tigers in 2018 to 9 in 2022. Assam remains the leading state with 227 tigers, while Odisha (28 to 20), Jharkhand (5 to 1), and Chhattisgarh (19 to 17) show decreases. Corbett leads in in-reserve populations with 260 tigers, but ongoing conservation efforts are crucial, considering the 270 tiger deaths in Madhya Pradesh between 2012 and 2022.
PM Modi launched the Tiger Census by inaugurating the International Big Cat Alliance in Karnataka's Mysuru, the first of its kind in the country, organized on the 50th anniversary of the Tiger Project.
The three-day conference will focus on protecting and conserving the world's seven most important big cats: tigers, lions, leopards, snow leopards, pumas, jaguars and cheetahs.
India is now home to 75% of the world's tiger population and also the world's largest tiger range country. In 1900, it was estimated that more than 100,000 tigers roamed the planet, but that number dropped to an all-time low of 3,200 in 2010.
In the past 100 years, the tiger has lost more than 93% of its historic range and now only survives in scattered populations in 13 countries, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
India's Wildlife conservation efforts
In July 2019, the Prime Minister called for a "Global Leaders Alliance" to "kill demand" and firmly curb poaching and illegal wildlife trade in Asia.
India launched the IBCA to focus on the protection and conservation of the world's seven most important big cats: tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, puma, jaguar and cheetah, with members from the range countries that host these species.
India launched 'Project Tiger' on April 1, 1973, promoting tiger conservation. Initially, it covered nine tiger reserves spread over 18,278 square kilometres. Currently, there are 53 tiger reserves covering more than 75,000 km2 (approximately 2.4% of the country's geographic area).
The Prime Minister spent the morning in the picturesque Bandipur Tiger Reserve where he went on a jeep safari and got glimpses of wildlife, natural beauty and biodiversity.
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