Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright: Tracking Program On Target

Tiger, Tiger Burning Bright: Tracking Program On Target

The National Tiger Conservation Authority has just taken steps for saving India's tigers through a slew of measures including a new tracking system. The Union Environment and Forests Minister Prakash Javadekar has announced the new measures which will be taken by the NTCA.

One such measure is the introduction of SOP or standard operating procedures for the purpose of taking care of orphaned tiger cubs whose mothers have died. This is a fresh conservation effort to try and save the tigers from extinction.

The launch of a proprietary electronic information network which connects all the 47 tiger reserves in India along with the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau for ensuring that poachers are caught and poaching is averted. Javadekar has also asked the NTCA to take the assistance of the National Remote Sensing Agency for advance flood warnings using satellites. This will ensure that forest officials are prepared for rise in river waters in the protected areas.

India's tiger conservation program is nearly 4 decades old now. The biggest challenges for conservation efforts in India include how to protect forestland and natural habitats apart from averting human-tiger confrontations and conflicts. The aim is to raise the number of tigers in India's forestlands.

Conservation efforts include an SOP which prepares tiger cubs for hunting live animals. Proposed flood warning systems are also in place to protect the wildlife at Kaziranga(Assam) and Dudhwa National Park in UP, according to a statement made to the media by Rajesh Gopal, the chief heading the tiger conservation program.

Monsoon rains cause periodic floods across the Brahmaputra river in Kaziranga and Dudhwa's Sarada river. Gopal has been quoted as saying that the advance warnings will be used for creating artificial mounds on which the animals can seek shelter from rising river waters.

The information network to curb poaching is also good news and a welcome initiative. India lost 14 tigers to poaching last year. Hopefully, this year the number will come down. Minister Prakash Javadekar has also called for making wildlife conservation a 'people's movement'.

At the 10th meeting of the NTCA, the minister also asserted that the conservation of tigers is critical. The tracking program will use MIS or management information system to control wildlife crimes as well as detect floods or fires. With projects in all 47 tiger reserves existing across a total of 18 states, the NTCA will certainly benefit from networks for improving communication between the units.

The Union minister also emphasised the need for state leaders to be important stakeholders in the conservation process. Conservation coupled with sustainable development can help to preserve the important natural balance of the planet. Tigers are fierce and beautiful creatures. Their conservation is a critical area of concern.