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Subject: Flagship SpeciesXCharacteristics

  • “Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves” initiative targets the 35 to 40% of India’s tigers living outside protected areas

    Why in the News

    The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s (MoEFCC) new “Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves” (TOTR) initiative addresses the 35 to 40% of India’s tiger population living outside formally protected areas. It is built on two pillars, conflict reduction and community coexistence, across 40 forest divisions in nine states.

    Pillars of the Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves (TOTR) initiative

    1. Conflict reduction: The first pillar focuses on reducing human-tiger conflict incidents in forest divisions where tigers range outside the boundaries of formally notified reserves.
    2. Community coexistence: The second pillar builds mechanisms for local communities to coexist with tigers present in shared, non-reserve landscapes, rather than treating their presence as purely a conservation enforcement problem.
    3. Coverage: The initiative spans 40 forest divisions across nine states, reflecting the geographic spread of India’s tiger population beyond reserve boundaries.

    Why does India need a policy specifically for tigers outside reserves?

    1. Population share at stake: With 35 to 40% of India’s tiger population living outside protected areas, conservation policy focused only on reserve boundaries misses a large share of the actual tiger population.
    2. Corridor dependence: Tigers outside reserves typically use forest corridors connecting reserves, and conflict in these corridors threatens the genetic connectivity between reserve populations.
    3. Land use pressure: Non-reserve forest divisions face agricultural and settlement pressure that formally protected reserves do not, making conflict management here structurally harder than inside a reserve.

    Conclusion

    1. The Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves initiative extends India’s tiger conservation focus beyond reserve boundaries to the corridors and shared landscapes where a large share of the tiger population actually lives. Its success will depend on whether conflict reduction and community coexistence measures can be sustained in areas without a reserve’s formal protection status.

    Back2Basics

    Conservation Status

    • IUCN Red List: Endangered (EN)
    • Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I species (highest level of legal protection).
    • CITES: Appendix I.

    Tiger Reserves in India

    • Total Tiger Reserves: 58 (under the National Tiger Conservation Authority).
    • Largest Tiger Reserve: Nagarjunsagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (Andhra Pradesh & Telangana).
    • Smallest Tiger Reserve: Bor Tiger Reserve (Maharashtra).
    • State with the most Tiger Reserves: Madhya Pradesh (9).
    • Latest Tiger Reserve: Madhav Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh), notified in 2025.

    Tiger Population

    • India’s tiger population increased from 1,411 (2006) to 3,682 (2022), reflecting the success of sustained conservation efforts under Project Tiger and landscape-based protection.
    • India is home to over 70% of the world’s wild tiger population, making it the global stronghold for tiger conservation.

    Project Tiger

    • Launched in 1973 by the Government of India to ensure a viable population of tigers in their natural habitats through habitat protection, anti-poaching measures, scientific monitoring, and community participation.

    National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)

    • The NTCA is a statutory body established under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (through the 2006 amendment) under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
    • It formulates policies and standards for tiger conservation, oversees the management of Tiger Reserves, approves reserve notifications, and monitors implementation of Project Tiger across the country.

  • Consider the following kinds of organisms

    Consider the following kinds of organisms:
    1. Bat
    2. Bee
    3. Bird
    Which of the above is/are pollinating agent/agents?

  • Consider the following

    Consider the following:
    1. Butterflies
    2. Fish
    3. Frogs
    How many of the above have poisonous species among them?

  • Consider the following statements

    Consider the following statements:
    1. Lions do not have a particular breeding season.
    2. Unlike most other big cats, cheetahs do not roar.
    3. Unlike male lions, male leopards do not proclaim their territory by scent marking.
    Which of the statements given above are correct?

  • Among the following, which one is not an ape

    Among the following, which one is not an ape?

  • In making the saffron spice, which one of the following parts of the plant is used

    In making the saffron spice, which one of the following parts of the plant is used ?

  • The Panda belongs to the same family as that of

    The Panda belongs to the same family as that of

  • King Cobra is the only snake that makes its own nest. Why does it make its nest

    King Cobra is the only snake that makes its own nest. Why does it make its nest ?

  • Lichens, which are capable of initiating ecological succession even on a bare rock, are actually a symbiotic association of

    Lichens, which are capable of initiating ecological succession even on a bare rock, are actually a symbiotic association of:

  • Other than poaching, what are the possible reasons for the decline in the population of Ganga River Dolphins

    Other than poaching, what are the possible reasons for the decline in the population of Ganga River Dolphins?
    1. Construction of dams and barrages on rivers.
    2. Increase in the population of crocodiles in rivers.
    3. Getting trapped in fishing nets accidentally.
    4. Use of synthetic fertilizers and other agricultural chemicals in crop-fields in the vicinity of
    rivers.
    Select the correct answer using the code given below: