National Parks, Wildlife & Biodiversity Module
Project Tiger & Project Elephant Reserves
Apex species conservation programs in India are spearheaded by Project Tiger (launched in April 1973) and Project Elephant (launched in 1992) to protect critical flagship species and their migratory corridors. Administered by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body under the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, India now hosts over 50 designated Tiger Reserves covering diverse habitats from the mangrove forests of Sundarbans to the Western Ghats. Periodic quadrennial tiger censuses employ advanced camera trapping and M-STrIPES digital monitoring. Concurrently, Elephant Reserves and designated elephant corridors mitigate human-wildlife conflict and ensure genetic connectivity across fragmented landscapes.
Key Concepts & Examination Highlights
- Project Tiger was launched on April 1, 1973, from Jim Corbett National Park under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to protect the Bengal tiger from extinction.
- The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was granted statutory status under the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2006 to oversee tiger reserve management.
- Project Elephant was launched by the Government of India in February 1992 to provide financial and technical support for Asian elephant conservation and corridor protection.
- According to the 2022 quadrennial All India Tiger Estimation report, India's minimum tiger population stood at 3,167, housing over 75% of the global wild tiger population.
Curriculum & Reference Sources: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.