14 Indian tiger reserves get global accreditation for conservation

NEW DELHI: Fourteen out of 51 tiger reserves in India on Thursday were granted the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CATS) accreditation for meeting standards to ensure effective conservation of big cats, the Union environment ministry said.

CATS is a globally accepted conservation tool that sets best practices and standards to manage tigers and assessments to benchmark progress. It is being implemented across 125 sites, including 94 in India, in seven tiger range countries, according to World Wide Fund India.

The 14 reserves which have attained the accreditation are Manas, Kaziranga, and Orang in Assam, Sundarbans in West Bengal, Valmiki in Bihar, Dudhwa in Uttar Pradesh, Panna, Kanha, Satpuda and Pench in Madhya Pradesh, Anamalai and Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu, Parambikulam in Kerala and Bandipur in Karnataka.

Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav said efforts should be undertaken to achieve the status for all 51 tiger reserves in India. “Tiger conservation involves saving the entire ecosystem, not just the tiger. The tiger is a symbol. Topography or tiger landscape and tiger corridors also need to be protected. Tigers also use international corridors with neighbouring countries. We should renew dialogues with these countries. Finally, public participation is very important and forest departments should recognise local conservation practices,” he said.

“We have to be cautious about the impact of ecotourism. Ecotourism will increase but with improved sensitivity for nature,” he added.

Meanwhile, on the occasion of International Tiger Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed India for achieving the target of doubling its tiger population four years ahead of schedule under the St Petersburg Declaration. “India is home to 51 tiger reserves spread across 18 states. The last tiger census of 2018 showed a rise in the tiger population. India achieved the target of doubling the tiger population 4 years ahead of schedule of the St. Petersburg Declaration on tiger conservation,” he tweeted.

“This recognition means a lot in the context of adaptation to climate change, sustainability of ecosystem services, and safeguarding disruption of zoonotic cycles, through an umbrella species approach,” said Rajesh Gopal, secretary-general, Global Tiger Forum, international NGO working on tiger conservation.

ANSHUMAN POYREKAR/HT PHOTO Royal Bengal Tiger “Shakti” plays at the Veermata Jijabai Bhosale Udyan and Zoo, in Mumbai on Thursday.