India's Tiger Census of 2018 sets a Guinness world record

The fourth cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation 2018 has entered the Guinness World Record for being the world’s largest camera trap wildlife survey.

• The citation at the Guinness World Record website says the fourth iteration of the survey - conducted in 2018-19 - was the most comprehensive to date, in terms of both resource and data amassed.
• The All India Tiger Estimation done quadrennially is steered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority with technical backstopping from the Wildlife Institute of India and implemented by State Forest Departments and partners.
• India is home to nearly 75 percent of the global tiger population and has already fulfilled its resolve of doubling tiger numbers; made at St. Petersburg in 2010, well ahead of the target year of 2022.

All India Tiger Estimation 2018

• The tiger numbers stood at 2,967 at last count in 2018, a 33 percent jump from 2,226 in 2014.
• Top 5 Performing States: Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number at 526, followed by Karnataka (524), Uttarakhand (442), Maharashtra (312), and Tamil Nadu (264).
• States with a decline in tiger population: Chhattisgarh and Mizoram. While all other States saw a Positive increase.
• Madhya Pradesh's Pench Sanctuary and Kerala’s Periyar sanctuary emerged as the best-managed tiger reserves in the country.
• Maximum improvement in the tiger population since 2014 recorded in Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu.
• The Dampa and Rajaji reserves, in Mizoram and Uttarakhand respectively, were left at the bottom of the ladder with a score of 42.97% and 44.53%.
• No tiger has been found in the Buxa (West Bengal), Palamau (Jharkhand), and Dampa (Mizoram) reserves.
  
  

  Project Tiger It is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Government of India which was launched on the 1st of April, 1973 for in-situ conservation of wild tigers in designated tiger reserves. Strategy: The strategy involves exclusive tiger agenda in the core/critical tiger habitat, inclusive people-wildlife agenda in the outer buffer, besides fostering the latter agenda in the corridors. This strategy / roadmap are reflected in a tiger reserve specific Tiger Conservation Plan for each reserve prepared under section 38V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) The is a statutory body of the Ministry, with an overarching supervisory / coordination role, performing functions as provided in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.