a conference organized by the Union environment ministry on February 12 in the national capital came out with the Tiger Census 2008 and the State of India's Forests Report 2005. Both came out with dismal figures a little more than 1,400 tigers are left in the county; and over 725 sq km of forests have vanished between 2002 and 2004. Add to that forestland diverted between 2004 and 2007--over 2,750 sq km according to the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests' data.
The common questions conservationists and wildlife experts are asking are where did the forests vanish; where did the tigers go?
The tiger census 2008, among other things, highlighted the following
- 1,410 tigers are left in the wild
- No tigers outside protected areas
- Habitat degradation, poaching and a reduced prey base are the problem areas
Number game
Scientific census puts tigers at 1,410 |
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Note NA-Not Assessed
Source www.indiastat.com; Tiger Census 2008 |
728 sq km of net loss of forests during 2002-04 (0.11 per cent of India's total forest cover) Madhya Pradesh lost 132 sq km of forests (The state has 11 per cent of country's total forest cover); Gujarat lost 99 sq km Nagaland lost 296 sq km of forests; Manipur, 173 sq km (North-eastern states account for over 25 per cent of forest cover) Compared to the 2003 assessment there is a loss of 635 sq km of forest cover in 188 tribal districts (The 2003 assessment is the forest survey carried out for the period 2000-2001; the 188 tribal districts constitute about 60 per cent of the total forest cover) 124 hill districts suffered a loss of forest cover of over 250 sq km compared to the 2003 assessment Between 1997 and 2002, the total forest cover inside tiger reserves and outer surrounds decreased by 94 sq km and 124 sq km (outer surrounds include a strip of about 10 km outside tiger reserves) Who benefits?
Forestland diverted to various sectors |
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| Source Union Ministry of Environment and Forests |
Key players in the clearance process
