Experts highlight that poor habitat management and increased tiger populations are leading to more human-tiger conflicts.
As tigers seek new territories due to saturation, interactions with humans rise, causing potential danger.
Conservationists urge better management and community involvement to mitigate these conflicts and ensure the survival of both humans and tigers.
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A disproportionate increase in tiger populations, prey augmentation and poor management of habitat are among the prime reasons behind rise in human-tiger conflict, according to experts.
According to them, at some point, tiger populations have peaked and reached a saturation point resulting in tigers seeking to expand or explore new territory and ultimately leading to increased interactions with humans.
K Ullas Karanth, conservation biologist and a tiger expert, explained that the increase in tiger numbers and densities in a few hotspot source populations has been caused by tiger reserve managers causing habitat manipulations that were aggressive and scientifically unjustified.
“Data show that compared to more “natural” densities, numbers of primary prey such as chital have shot four to five times, reaching 80-100 animals per square kilometre. As a result, tiger densities too have shot up to unnaturally high densities of 10-15 tigers per sq km in several of these hotspots,” he said.
Recently, Down To Earth (DTE) had reported that tiger populations in the Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve’s Ramnagar division have reached highest densities outside the protected area.
Karanth further said that a superabundant prey base leads to very high survival rates of tiger cubs and juveniles, and even 3-5 cubs survive to dispersal age. Normally, they do not.
As these cubs grow and mature in dense areas, the territorial species get into more conflicts. Compounded by lack of prey and water stress inside the habitat, they get pushed to neighbouring forest landscapes, ultimately leading to encounters with humans, killings of livestock and accidental killings of humans, said carnivore biologist, Abhishek Harihar.
Experts said increased human population and encroachment in wild areas, including tiger corridors, is also bringing the two species into greater proximity.
M K Ranjitsinh, architect of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, added that in some reserves where tiger numbers have increased, the prey animals have not increased proportionally, compelling them to depend upon livestock.
“We have reached carrying capacity levels. The government may declare new areas as tiger reserves. But how many new protected areas and corridors leading to connectivity between habitats have the states and Centre added anywhere in the country in the last 25 years?” he said.
Experts urged involving communities via effective implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA) and disinvesting in tiger reserves.
Imran Siddiqui, tiger conservationist and scientist said, disinvestment in tiger conservation is required in some areas and should be planned carefully.
“We cannot artificially provide resources and make them breed and spread everywhere. We should help them colonise extant habitats and reduce pressure from huge concentrations,” he said.
Siddiqui said if corridors are maintained the new recruits will move out. Smaller islands of habitat should not be provided with water or prey for tiger conservation.
“I would suggest that disinvestment in some areas and investment in large contiguous habitats such as Gadchiroli in Maharashtra, Telangana and Chhattisgarh should be implemented,” said Siddiqui.
Harihar said a lack of participation or community involvement in the process of protecting tigers is an issue in some protected areas. “FRA enables communities with more power and effective management of land and forests. It is a better tool for conservation and governance,” he said.
Krishnendu Basak, human-wildlife conflict mitigation expert, said involvement of local communities will be essential to ensure the long-term success of conservation efforts.
“If effective action begins now, there is hope that conflict levels can be brought under control. Otherwise, rising tensions could become a major setback for tiger conservation, potentially reaching a tipping point where coexistence becomes untenable — threatening both human safety and the long-term survival of tigers in these landscapes,” he concluded.