On 23 November, 2020 to mark the 10 anniversary of “Tigers times two” or TX2 under the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to double the population of the tiger, two categories of awards were distributed.Philibhit Tiger Reserve (PTR) and Uttar Pradesh Forest Department from India has won the first International award TX2. Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan and the Manas Tiger Reserve in India received the Tiger Conservation Excellence Award.
The award was presented during the TX2 Tiger Conservation Awards 2020 ceremony.TX2 Award was virtually presented to the principal chief conservator of forest (wildlife) of the state, Sunil Pandey, by UNDP’s (United Nations Development Program) head of ecosystems and biodiversity, Mindori Paxton.PTR was the first to receive the award among 13 tiger range countries.
Key Points:
–PTR had applied for this award in September 2020 after the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) released 2020’s state-wise figures of the tiger estimation which was based on the census conducted in 2018.
–There are many factors behind this increase like improved and intensified patrolling, constant use of Monitoring System for Tigers-Intensive Protection and Ecological Status (M-STrIPE), Wildlife crime control and habitat improvement, among others.
–Global Tiger Day- July 29
Tiger Conservation Excellence Award 2020:
A 1,500-sq. km. conservation area straddling the India-Bhutan border namely “Transboundary Manas Conservation Area or TraMCA” has received the Conservation Excellence Award for 2020.TraMCA is comprising of the 500 sq. km. Manas National Park in Assam and the 1,057-sq. km. Royal Manas National Park in Bhutan.
About Pilibhit Tiger Reserve:
- Located in Uttar Pradesh
- Established in June 2014, as the 46th Tiger Reserve of India under “Project Tiger”.
- Tiger Population has increased from 25 in 2014 to 65 in 2018.
About Manas National Parks:
- UNESCO designated World Heritage site since 1985.
- The number of tigers in the Indian Manas increased from 9 in 2010 to 25 in 2018 while in the Bhutan Manas the population has doubled from 12 in 2008 to 26 in 2018.
What is the TX2 Goal?
Initiated in 2010, at the Tiger Summit in St Petersburg, Russia by WWF under the United Nation Development Program (UNDP). Key International organizations Partnered in this award and working for Tiger conservation are WWF, UNDP, IUCN, Global Tiger Fund (GTF), CATS and The Lion’s Share.
ii.Target – TX2 Mission is targeted on arresting the decline of Tiger, the endangered species and double its population by 2022.
iii. Recognized parks / sanctuaries will receive TX2 Awards under two or more of the below five themes:
- Tiger and prey population monitoring and research (tiger translocation / prey augmentation)
- Effective site management (CA|TS and METT assessments)
- Enhanced Law Enforcement & protection & Ranger Welfare improvement
- Community based conservation, benefits and Human-Wildlife conflict mitigation
- Habitat and prey management
Member Countries– 13 Tiger Range Countries (India, Nepal, China, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, Bhutan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Russia, Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar).In the 13 Tiger range countries, 3 of them (Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar) have already lost the big cats, with no record of the species in the last 5 years. (v and vi points can be merged with subheadings member countries). Successful Countries are India, Nepal, Bhutan, and Russia.
Project Tiger:
i.Launched in 1973, under The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) to increasing the tiger population of the country and fighting against illegal poaching to conserve the biodiversity.(merged I and ii points into one)
ii.NTCA monitors the movement of tigers through Monitoring System for Tigers – Intensive Protection and Ecological Status (M-STrIPES ).
Tiger Census-2020:
i.India with a population of 2967 tigers, accounts for 70% of the worlds’ tiger population
ii.In 2020, Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) Technology is used for the first time to identify Tigers’ movement.
iii.India received Guinness World Records for worlds’ largest camera trap survey of wildlife.Nagarahole Tiger Reserve of Karnataka is the most densely populated tiger reserve in the country with 126 tigers.
Recent Related News:
i.On August 15, 2020, the first ever Kerala State Dragonfly Festival 2020 aka “Thumbimahotsavam 2020” was launched by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)-India State unit in collaboration with Society for Odonate Studies (SOS) and Thumbipuranam through a virtual ceremony from Kerala.
ii.On September 1, 2020, a report “Enhancing Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for Food Systems” published by World Wide Fund (WWF), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), non-profit organization EAT & think tank Climate Focus based on strengthening food systems in the age of climate crisis.
About World Wildlife Fund (WWF):
President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)– Carter Roberts
Headquarters– Gland, Switzerland
