International Tiger Day, also known as Global Tiger Day, is annually observed across the globe on 29th July to raise awareness about the need for tiger conservation and the threats faced by the endangered species.
(Scientific name: Panthera tigris, belongs to genus Panthera)
- 29th July 2023, marks the 13th International Tiger Day.
Background:
i.On 23rd November 2010, the St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation was signed during the International Tiger Forum in St. Petersburg, Russia which took place from 21st to 24th of November 2010, by proclaiming 29th July of every year as the International Tiger Day.
- The 1st international tiger day was observed on 29th july 2010.
ii.The day is supported and observed by major charities including the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), and the Smithsonian Institution.
iv.The summit adopted National Tiger Recovery Priorities (NTRPs) and Global Tiger Recovery Programme (GTRP) by providing a blueprint for each country to reach the TX2 target.
TX2:
The TX2 (Tigers times two) goal is a global commitment to double the world’s wild tigers by 2022.
- The Signatories were Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Lao, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand and Vietnam.
Key points:
i.According to the WWF there are 3,900 wild cats in the world. Poaching, illegal wildlife trade, and habitat loss, however, have reduced their population and range to just about 7%.
ii.In 2017, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recognized the continental tiger(Panthera tigris tigris) and the Sunda island tiger(Panthera tigris sondaica) as tiger subspecies.
iii.The IUCN Red List of threatened species classifies Tigers as Endangered.
iv.Tigers have been included in Appendix I of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) since 1975, which means all international trade in tigers, including parts and derivatives, for commercial purposes is generally prohibited under the Convention.
Conservation efforts in India:
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA):
NTCA is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC) constituted under enabling provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, for strengthening tiger conservation.
Project Tiger:
i.The ‘Project Tiger’ is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) of the MoEFCC, providing funding support to tiger range States for in-situ conservation of tigers in designated tiger reserves. It was launched in 1973 to revive the tiger population.
- The project was the first-ever tiger conservation programme in the world.
ii.The Project Tiger has increased the coverage of tiger reserves from 9 to 53 as of 2023.
Tiger Population:
- According to the results of the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE), 2022 released by Prime Minister(PM) of India, Narendra Modi, on 9th April 2023, the population of wild tigers in India is estimated to be a minimum of 3,167, out of which 3,080 are unique individuals.
- India has now become the home of around 75% of the global tiger population.
- The State with the Highest Tiger population in India is Madhya Pradesh, followed by Karnataka and Uttrakhand.
About Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change (MoEFCC):
Union Minister- Bhupender Yadav (Rajya Sabha- Rajasthan)
Minister of State(MoS)- Ashwini Kumar Choubey
