The sixth cycle of the tiger census, known as the All India Tiger Estimation, was officially launched on Sunday, with ground surveys having begun last month.
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, who chaired a high-level joint meeting of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Project Elephant Steering Committee at the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve, said India’s conservation model must increasingly rely on science-based management and international collaboration, noting recent delegations from South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana involved in the cheetah reintroduction program.
To address the rising challenge of human-wildlife friction, the minister highlighted a three-pronged strategy and the launch of a specialized project, titled ‘Management of Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves.’
“The committee also reviewed critical bottlenecks, including staff shortages, financial constraints, and the urgent need to manage invasive species that threaten natural habitats,” an official said.
On the elephant conservation front, the Steering Committee reviewed the status of the All-India Synchronized Elephant Estimation and DNA profiling for captive elephants.
“The discussions focused heavily on the Nilgiri Elephant Reserve and the Ripu–Chirang Elephant Reserve, with a new emphasis on evaluating elephant corridors and conflict hotspots in the Bandhavgarh region,” the official added.
Speaking to mediapersons after the meetings, Yadav said the Centre has sought a report on the death of elephants in a train collision in Assam’s Hojai district. “Railway authorities have been directed to work with state forest departments on elephant movement along the tracks. A report on elephant deaths in Assam has been sought,” the minister said.
Seven elephants were killed after a herd was hit by the Sairang-New Delhi Rajdhani Express early Saturday, and a calf later succumbed to its injuries.
Yadav also highlighted preventive measures for human-elephant conflict, noting that 1,100 elephant accident zones have been identified nationwide.
“District magistrates have been asked to keep forest departments updated on elephant movement along highways,” he said.
On wildlife conservation, Yadav said Rs 112 crore and Rs 344 crore have been allocated to Sundarbans for tiger and elephant projects, respectively, over the past five years, though much remained unutilised.
While the Sunderbans attracts 9.5 lakh tourists annually, the Ranthambore tiger reserve witnesses Rs 18-19 lakh.
“Such a beautiful zone of 2,500 sq km area with rich biodiversity, over 250 bird species, apart from big cats, deer, and crocodile, hasn’t been projected properly. There must be a balance between ecological concerns and development. This should be looked into by the state,” he said.
The meeting ratified the decisions of the technical committee meetings of the NTCA, covering approval of tiger conservation plans, extension and expansion of Project Cheetah, tiger translocation, augmenting prey base, landscape management planning, carnivore health management training programmes, and inputs provided by the NTCA on project proposals to the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL).
Updates were presented on the expansion of Project Cheetah to Gandhisagar Wildlife Sanctuary and the Banni Grassland in Gujarat.
Preparatory activities for the proposed Global Big Cat Summit were also reviewed.
The session concluded with the release of six key publications, including the latest issue of the outreach journal STRIPES and a manual on best practices for captive elephant management. Yadav said the government is committed to a community-centric approach, ensuring that local populations living near these landscapes are integral to India’s long-term conservation goals.