Master10
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.
  • Bandipur Tiger Reserve and Nagarhole Tiger Reserve in Karnataka, contiguous with Wayanad in Kerala and Mudumalai in Tamil Nadu, form one of the world's largest single contiguous wild tiger habitats.
  • Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, spanning Andhra Pradesh and Telangana across the Nallamala Hills, is the largest tiger reserve by total geographical area in India.
  • Bor Tiger Reserve in the Wardha district of Maharashtra is India's smallest tiger reserve by geographic area.
  • M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers - Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) is the official GPS and mobile-based patrolling application used by forest guards in Indian tiger reserves.
  • India established the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) in April 2023 to coordinate global conservation efforts for seven major big cat species: tiger, lion, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah, jaguar, and puma.
  • The MIKE (Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants) program, established under CITES, operates several designated monitoring sites across Indian elephant reserves.
  • The Gaj Yatra campaign and 'Haathi Mere Saathi' initiative were launched by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change to raise public awareness for elephant corridor protection.
  • Madhya Pradesh holds the highest number of wild tigers among Indian states according to official census figures, earning it the title 'Tiger State of India'.
  • Project Tiger was launched on April 1, 1973, from Corbett National Park under the leadership of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and conservationist Kailash Sankhala.
  • The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, established via the 2006 amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act.
  • India's national tiger census is conducted every four years using the M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers - Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) mobile application.
  • India hosts over 75% of the world's wild tiger population, achieving the target of doubling tiger numbers well ahead of the St. Petersburg Declaration's 2022 deadline.
  • The core-buffer strategy in tiger reserves mandates that core/critical tiger habitats are kept inviolate from commercial extraction, while buffer zones permit regulated co-existence.
  • Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla in Chhattisgarh and Ranipur in Uttar Pradesh are among the newest additions to India's network of over 55 Tiger Reserves.
  • Project Elephant was launched by the Government of India in February 1992 as a centrally sponsored scheme to protect Asian elephants, their habitats, and migration corridors.
  • Elephant Corridors are narrow ecological strips of land connecting two larger elephant habitats; the MoEFCC identified over 150 elephant corridors across the country.
  • The Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) programme is an international initiative established under CITES to measure levels and trends in elephant poaching.
  • Elephant Reserves (ERs) receive technical and financial support under Project Elephant, with Singhbhum Elephant Reserve in Jharkhand being the first designated reserve (2001).
  • Lemru Elephant Reserve in Korba district, Chhattisgarh, was notified to prevent human-elephant conflict and conserve vital elephant habitats in coal-rich belts.
  • Terai Elephant Reserve (TER) in Uttar Pradesh spans over 3,000 km², encompassing Dudhwa National Park and Pilibhit Tiger Reserve landscapes.
  • Gaja Utsav is an annual national festival celebrated to commemorate Project Elephant and raise public awareness regarding elephant conservation and human-elephant coexistence.
  • Project Tiger was launched on April 1, 1973, by the Government of India from Jim Corbett National Park under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
  • The initial launch of Project Tiger covered nine designated tiger reserves spanning an area of approximately 9,115 square kilometers.
  • Kailash Sankhala was appointed as the first Director of Project Tiger in 1973, widely revered as the 'Tiger Man of India'.
  • The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a statutory body established in December 2005 under the amended Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
  • The NTCA is chaired by the Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and provides statutory oversight for Tiger Conservation Plans.
  • The All India Tiger Estimation is conducted every four years by NTCA and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) using camera traps and line-transect surveys.
  • The M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers - Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) mobile application is used for digital patrolling and ecological data logging in tiger reserves.
  • India hosts approximately 75 percent of the global wild tiger population, with census figures reaching over 3,167 tigers according to recent national estimations.
  • Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of wild tigers in India, earning the official designation of 'Tiger State of India'.
  • Karnataka and Uttarakhand hold the second and third highest tiger populations in the country respectively.
  • Tiger Reserves are configured with a statutory two-tier structure: a strictly inviolate 'Core Zone' and an outer 'Buffer Zone' managed for multiple uses.
  • Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand hosts the single highest population density of wild tigers among all individual tiger reserves in India.
  • Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, spanning Andhra Pradesh and Telangana across the Nallamala Hills, is the largest tiger reserve in India by total area.
  • Bor Tiger Reserve in the Wardha district of Maharashtra is the smallest tiger reserve in India by core area.
  • Bandipur Tiger Reserve in Karnataka was among the original nine reserves declared in 1973 and forms a crucial core of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
  • Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Uttar Pradesh, established in 1987, spans Dudhwa National Park, Kishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary, and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • Palamau Tiger Reserve in Jharkhand was one of the original nine tiger reserves established in 1973 on the Chota Nagpur Plateau.
  • Similipal Tiger Reserve in Odisha is globally unique for harboring wild melanistic (pseudo-melanistic) tigers with broad, merged black stripes.
  • Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala received the highest Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) score among all Indian tiger reserves in the 5th MEE cycle.
  • Amrabad Tiger Reserve in Telangana was carved out of the larger Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam reserve following the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in 2014.
  • Dholpur-Karauli Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan was approved in 2023 as the 54th Tiger Reserve of India.
  • Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh became the 54th/55th tiger reserve, protecting parts of Nauradehi and Veerangana Durgavati sanctuaries.
  • The Global Tiger Forum (GTF), based in New Delhi, is the only inter-governmental international body working exclusively for the conservation of tigers in the wild.
  • The St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation (2010) set the ambitious 'TX2' global goal to double wild tiger numbers by 2022, a target India achieved four years early in 2018.
  • The CA|TS (Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards) is an international accreditation framework certifying rigorous management standards in tiger reserves.
Curriculum & Reference Sources: National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Sample Solved Questions & Concept Explanations

8 Verified Concept Questions
Q1.MEDIUM

In which year was 'Project Tiger' launched by the Government of India at Jim Corbett National Park to protect the Bengal tiger from extinction?

Q2.EASY

Project Elephant was launched by the Government of India in which year to ensure the long-term survival of Asian elephants?

Q3.EASY

Which statutory authority under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change oversees tiger conservation in India?

Q4.EASY

Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, famous for its dry deciduous forest tigers and historic 10th-century fort, is situated in which state?

Q5.EASY

Bandipur Tiger Reserve, one of the original nine tiger reserves designated in 1973, is located in which state?

Q6.EASY

Which Indian state has the highest number of designated Tiger Reserves (such as Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Pench, and Panna)?

Q7.EASY

Which national park and tiger reserve in Odisha is famous for its rare melanistic (black) tigers?

Q8.EASY

Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, situated in the Nilgiris district, is in which Indian state?