Project Tiger: India’s Dedicated Conservation Initiative

The lush nature reserves of the Indian subcontinent are home to the mighty Royal Bengal Tiger. In 1973, recognising the need for a conservation initiative to ensure the survival of this magnificent wild animal, the Indian government set up Project Tiger under the country’s Wildlife Conservation Act. Today, 45 years later, the reach of this vital programme has gone from encompassing an initial nine reserves to 50.

Anyone who plans to join one of the organised Tiger tours to India with the view to observing these animals in their natural habitat should take the time to learn more about this vital initiative.

Early Beginnings

While a national ban on hunting the big cat came into effect in 1970, it wasn’t until 1972 that they came under the care of the Wildlife Protection Act. The government at the time was galvanised by the shocking figures of decline in the animal’s population – dropping from around 40,000 at the turn of the twentieth century to (then) under 2,000. 

In each of the initial nine reserves included in the initiative (Kanha, Manas, Palamau, Melghat, Bandipur, Ranthambhore, Sunderbans, Similipal and Corbett), the parks’ management were bound to several common core principles. These included:

• Documenting all changes in flora and fauna to aid research
• Habitat management to be directed at restoring the ecosystem and repairing damage from human interference
• Any and all forms of human interference to be removed from the ‘core zone’ of the parks’ wildlife habitat.

Aims of the Project

While the main focus is on the iconic big cat, its status as an apex predator means that a healthy population also contributes (and indeed is vital) to maintaining a stable ecosystem. Over several decades since it was established, the project has not only seen a rise in numbers of the big cat, but populations of all other kinds of wildlife have also increased and flourished.

The programme sets in place regular “Five Year Plans’, each more ambitious than the last in terms of research activities, adding to the number of reserves, and increasing the area of the core conservation zones in the existing ones. 

Current Focus

Anti poaching is high on the project’s agenda, as the demand by the Asian market for body parts shows no signs of abating. Working with the police and the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, authorities are carrying out field visits, increasing monitoring and working on a national database to identify the movement of body parts trade.

The programme is also focusing on the aspect of human/wildlife conflict (including the voluntary relocation of residents), increasing protection infrastructure, and working on educational projects with locals.

Making Progress

As a direct result of the efforts under the initiative, India’s proportion of Tigers is the greatest of anywhere in the world. Records show an increase of 30% in the population from 2010. The aim is to maintain the core areas exclusively for wildlife and work towards peaceful and productive co-existence within the outer “buffer” zones of the reserves.

Join the Conservation Initiative on Tiger Tours

For those travelling to the Indian subcontinent on Tiger tours, it’s possible to see the work of this important project in action in some of the region’s most renowned wildlife reserves, including Bandhavgarh, Kanha, Panna and Pench.

Author Plate

Marissa Ellis-Snow is a freelance nature writer with a special interest in Tiger watching. As a passionate lover of wildlife, Marissa chooses the expert-led Tiger tours organised by Naturetrek, which have brought her unforgettable sightings of a wide range of species in some of the most spectacular regions on Earth.