International Tiger Day: Why big cats are vital for balanced ecosystem

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We have learnt many lessons in school about the majestic Royal Bengal tiger that it is the national animal of India and Bangladesh and it is an endangered species. But looking at the present state of our ecosystem and dwindling numbers of the big cats in question, did one know that thriving of tigers signified of a healthy ecosystem?

It is not only about the Royal Bengal tiger, but about all other breeds of tigers found across the world. And this is the significance of observing International Tiger Day on July 29 every year, taking the pledge and necessary steps for conserving the cats for a better, well-balanced ecosystem.

History

The International Tiger Day was first observed in 2010 during the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in Russia to raise concerns about the declining numbers of the global tiger population that almost left them on the brink of extinction and to encourage the execution of projects related to tiger conservation. World leaders, who attended the summit, pleaded to work towards the goal of doubling the tiger population by 2020. Since then the day has been observed every July 29 to lay emphasis on why tiger conservation is important.

What about our national animal?

It is said that less than a century ago, about 1,00,000 tigers were known to have roamed in Asia. However, with human interference in nature, the numbers started fluctuating.

In April 1973, when the population of the tigers in India was nearing extinction, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi established the National Tiger Conservation Authority, popularly known as Project Tiger. The initiative was launched with an aim to "foster an exclusive tiger agenda in the core areas of tiger reserves, with an inclusive people-oriented agenda in the buffer," as mentioned on the statutory body's website.

This body bears the credit of conserving the creature in a number of reserves, national parks, and sanctuaries through breeding programmes, resulting in the population of tigers presently standing at 2,967 as per the All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018, a report by Project Tiger released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year.

'India ready to take leadership role in tiger breeding'

Ahead of Global Tiger Day, Union Minister for Environment Prakash Javadekar said that the country is ready to take a leadership role and work with other tiger range countries for the management of reserves. He also asserted that all tiger reserves in the country are in good condition.

Speaking after releasing an over 600-page report of the fourth All India Tiger Estimation 2018 on Tuesday, he said the country is proud of its tiger achievements, as it boasts of eight per cent of the world's biodiversity despite the scarcity of land and rainfall.

"In 1973, there were just nine tiger reserves which have now increased to 50. It is important to know that none of these reserves is poor quality. Despite India's constraint of 2.5 per cent of global land, four per cent of rainfall and 16 per cent of world's human population, India is home to eight per cent of world's biodiversity which includes 70 per cent of world's tiger population," he said.

The union minister also said that the country is ready to work with other tiger range countries in tiger conservation. "We are ready to take leadership role and work with all 12 tiger range countries in their training, capacity building, and in actual management of tiger reserves," he said.

India is currently one of the 13 countries with tiger ranges. Other countries are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

(With inputs from PTI)

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