Why in the News?

The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) recently issued a clarification limiting tiger corridors primarily to 32 “least cost pathways” identified in 2014.

About National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA):

• Statutory body: Under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• Establishment: Created in 2006 under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• Functions: Provides legal backing to Project Tiger, ensures Centre–State accountability via MoUs, and enables Parliamentary oversight.
• Community Role: Addresses livelihood concerns of people around tiger reserves.
• Composition: Chaired by MoEFCC Minister, Vice-Chairperson MoS, 3 Members of Parliament, MoEFCC Secretary, and others.

What are Tiger Corridors?

• Definition: Landscape linkages between tiger habitats that allow safe passage, genetic flow, and survival.
• Need: Prevent isolation of tiger populations and human–tiger conflicts.
• Examples of Macro-Corridors:
  • Shivalik–Gangetic Plains: Corbett–Dudhwa, Dudhwa–Kishanpur–Katerniaghat.
  • Central India & Eastern Ghats: Ranthambhore–Kuno–Madhav, Kanha–Pench, Bandhavgarh–Achanakmar.
  • Western Ghats: Sahyadri–Konkan–Radhanagari–Goa–Karnataka.
  • Northeast & Brahmaputra: Kaziranga–Karbi Anglong, Manas–Buxa.
  • Sundarbans Landscape.

NTCA’s Policy Reversal:

• July 25 Affidavit: Said corridor identification must use multiple data sources – protected areas, 2014 NTCA pathways, Tiger Conservation Plans (TCPs), Wildlife Institute of India (WII) studies (2016, 2021), and All-India Tiger Estimation (AITE) data.
• August 21 Clarification: Limited definition only to 2014 least-cost pathways (32 corridors) and TCP corridors.
• Exclusions: WII studies and AITE data dropped, despite 2014 report itself warning that listed corridors were “minimal requirement.”

Get an IAS/IPS ranker as your 1: 1 personal mentor for UPSC 2024

Attend Now