PROJECT
TIGER - ENVIRONMENT
News:
50 years of Project
Tiger: India considers translocating a few big cats to Cambodia
What's
in the news?
●
In the 50th year of ‘Project Tiger’ in
India, the Centre is considering translocating
a few big cats to Cambodia, where the species have become extinct in the
last decade.
Key
takeaways:
●
Project Tiger, which began in 1973 at the Corbett national park, completes
50 years on April 1 this year.
●
The last tiger spotted on camera in
Cambodia was in 2007. India, following the success of first-of-its-kind
transcontinental translocation of the African Cheetahs last September, signed a
memorandum of understanding with Cambodia in November to assist it with “all
technical details and knowledge’’ regarding the reintroduction of tiger in the
country.
Project
Tiger:
●
It was launched in 1973 with 9 tiger reserves for conserving our national animal, the
tiger.
●
Currently, the Project Tiger coverage has
increased to 54, spread out in 18
tiger range states.
●
The tiger reserves are organized according
to a core/buffer model.
●
The core parts are legally designated as a
national park or a sanctuary, whilst the buffer or surrounding areas are a mix
of forest and non-forest land maintained as a multiple use area.
●
It is an ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and
Climate Change that provides government support to tiger states for tiger
conservation in designated tiger reserves.
National
Tiger Conservation Authority:
●
It is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate
Change.
●
It was established in 2005 following the
recommendations of the Tiger Task Force.
●
It was constituted under enabling
provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2006, for
strengthening tiger conservation, as per powers and functions assigned to it.