Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupendra Yadav on Friday said the government has demonstrated its commitment to the conservation of tigers, which has increased from the initial nine in 1973 to the present 52, the latest being the Ramgarh Vishdhari in Rajasthan.
Yadav, who participated in the Global Tiger Day 2022 celebrations held at Chandrapur Forest Academy in Maharashtra, congratulated all tiger range countries and especially for setting a benchmark for conservation and protection of over 70% of the global tiger population.
The minister said that the government is committed to the well-being of the people who live in these tiger landscapes through various livelihood opportunities and interventions.
Yadav lauded Maharashtra for implementing the unique Syama Prasad Mookerjee Jan Van Vikas Yojana, which provides schemes for the welfare of people living in and around tiger reserves that are emulated by other states. Yadav lauded Maharashtra for implementing the unique Syama Prasad Mookerjee Jan Van Vikas Yojana, which provides schemes for the welfare of people living in and around tiger reserves that are emulated by other states.
He said that an unbiased, independent, management effectiveness assessment is being done once in four years and is currently being done for the fifth time, to avoid involving outside experts in wildlife conservation and also the all-India tiger estimation.
Proudly claiming to have entered the Guinness Book of World Records for this unique exercise conducted in 2018, Yadav has created low-impact activities in tiger reserves by maximizing visitor satisfaction and sharing direct benefits with the local people. Emphasis on promoting sustainable tourism.
He shared that India has taken up a high-priority conservation project to bring back the extinct Cheetah in 1952 by starting the Cheetah Introduction Program, which is in an advanced stage of implementation.
Yadav said a bilateral agreement has already been signed with the Namibian government and the MoU with South Africa would be signed soon.
He appreciated all the field staff for the commitment shown towards tiger conservation, which has placed the country at the number one position globally.
Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Ashwini Kumar Choubey, who was also present, stressed that the tiger is a symbol of power and plays an important role in the conservation of biodiversity, forest, water and climate security.
He said it is a matter of great pride that India is a global leader in tiger conservation and is collaborating with countries like Cambodia, China, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar and Russia to unite for tiger conservation.
“We must envision a future of peaceful coexistence of man, animal and nature,” he said.
The Ministers and other delegates visited the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) and appreciated the diversity of the landscape, its flora and fauna.
He also held informal interactions with the forest staff and tiger reserve management to understand the issues of protection at the field level.
The celebration of Global Tiger Day was announced on 29 July 2010 in St Petersburg, to bring together all tiger range countries to emphasize tiger conservation and management globally. Since then this day is symbolically celebrated as Global Tiger Day.