India holds just over 66% of the world's estimated population of 5,574 adult wild tigers (ref. IUCN). According to the latest tiger estimation by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and released by the Government of India on 29th July 2023, the current tiger population in India is estimated at 3,682 (ranging between a minimum of 3,167 to a maximum of 3,925 tigers). The results include tiger populations found in 18 States in India.

The Status of Tigers in India 2022 report classified tiger occupied forests in India into five landscapes; namely (a) Shivalik-Gangetic Plains Landscape, (b) Central Indian and Eastern Ghats Landscape Complex (c) Western Ghats Landscape, (d) North-Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra Flood Plains and (e) Sunderbans.

A detailed report on the 2022 NTCA tiger estimation titled “Status of Tigers: Co-predators and Prey in India-2022” can be found at:
https://ntca.gov.in/assets/uploads/Reports/AITM/status_of_tiger-copredators-
2022.pdf

Citation: Qamar Qureshi, Yadvendradev V. Jhala, Satya P. Yadav and Amit Mallick (eds) 2023. Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India, 2022. National Tiger Conservation Authority, Government of India, New Delhi, and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun.

Key points from this report are mentioned below:

Shivalik Hills and Gangetic Plains Landscape:

Dehradun–Rajaji–Corbett–Ramnagar–Pilibhit–Dudhwa: The western most population of tigers in Dehradun Forest Division, Rajaji Tiger Reserve, along with Lansdowne Forest Division, Corbett Tiger Reserve, Amangarh, Terai West Forest Division, Ramnagar Forest Division, Haldwani Forest Division, Terai Central and East Forest Divisions, Pilibhit Tiger Reserve and Dudhwa Tiger Reserve having tiger occupancy in about 8,103 km² of forested habitat with an estimated population size of 757 individuals.

Suhelwa Wildlife Sanctuary recorded three tigers in a 244 km² area.

Valmiki–Sohagibarwa: This continuum spans across parts of India and Nepal with 54-55 tigers occupying an area of 939 km² on the Indian side. Tigers were found to be common in Chitwan and Parsa National Parks in Nepal. Together with Chitwan's 128 tigers and Parsa's 41 tigers (DNPWC and DFSC 2022), this population block harbours 213 tigers.

Central Indian and Eastern Ghats Landscape Complex:

Sariska: Sariska Tiger Reserve, situated in the Aravalli hill ranges of Rajasthan, has a significant history regarding tiger conservation. It experienced a local extinction of tigers, officially declared in 2004, due to poaching. This prompted a much-needed shift in the conservation approach in India, leading to an era of evidence-based tiger conservation. To address the absence of tigers, reintroduction efforts were initiated in Sariska in 2008, and the Forest Department began actively monitoring all the reintroduced individuals. Camera
trapping exercises conducted in 2021-22 recorded 19 adult tigers residing in Sariska.

Ranthambore–Mukundara–Kuno: This cluster represents the western most distribution of tigers. It has been isolated from the rest of the central Indian landscape for a considerable period. Ranthambhore has the largest population of tigers in this block, with dispersing males establishing themselves in differentsink populations in the greater Ranthambhore ecosystem, including Kuno, Datia, Mukundara, and Ramgarh. The current estimated population of tigers in this block is 69 individuals occupying an area of 1,205 km².

Panna–Ranipur: After facing local extinction, the tiger population in Panna has been successfully restored through reintroduction efforts and the effective enforcement of laws by the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department. The current estimated population of tigers in this block is 79 individuals occupying an area of 2,840 km².

Bandhavgarh–Sanjay–Guru Ghasidas: This population block consists of Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve as a significant source population, along with the territorial forest divisions of Shahdol and Rewa, in Madhya Pradesh. It is located in the Vindhyan hills and shares contiguous borders with Guru Ghasidas National Park, Timor Pingla and Semarsot Wildlife Sanctuaries, and Surajpur and Balrampur divisions in Chhattisgarh. The current estimated population of tigers in this block is 226 tigers within an area of 5,649 km².

Kanha–Pench–Achanakmar: This population block represents the largest tiger population in the Central Indian landscape, with an estimated 360 individuals within an area of 11,400 km². It encompasses the forested landscape of Kanha Tiger Reserve, Mandla, Balaghat, and Dindori territorial divisions, Pench Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, Pench Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra, and Achanakmar Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh.

Tadoba–NNTR–Bor–Indravati–Kawal: The tiger population here is currently estimated at 319 individuals within an area of 11,400 km².

Satpura–Melghat: These two Tiger Reserves are interconnected through the forests of Betul and Narmadapuram forest divisions in Madhya Pradesh. The area is estimated to have 149 tigers within 9,427 km².

Ratapani–Bhopal–Dewas: This block is situated on the northern side of the Narmada River. The current estimated population stands at 96 tigers within an area of 4,530 km².

Similipal: The Similipal Tiger Reserve landscape now has the only tiger population in the State of Odisha, in eastern India. It is notable for its unique lineage of so-called "black tigers" (Kolipakam et al. 2019). Previously, this population block included Satkosia Tiger Reserve, but unfortunately tigers were locally extirpated from there, and Similipal, along with Kuldiha Wildlife Sanctuary, now constitute this population block. Tigers here face significant challenges and are severely depleted, with an estimated count of only 18 tigers across an area of 1,484 km².

Nagarjunsagar Srisailam–Amrabad: The population in this cluster has witnessed an increase compared to previous estimations. The current estimate is 72 tigers within an area of 6,348 km².

Sahyadri–Sindhudurg: This population represents the northernmost extent of the Western Ghats, including Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary, Chandoli National Park, Radhanagri Wildlife Sanctuary, and the forests of Sindhudurg in Maharashtra. The estimated population is 5 tigers in 518 km².

Western Ghats Landscape:

Nagarhole–Bandipur–Wayanad–Mudumalai–Sathyamangalam–BRT Complex: This tiger population spans across the States of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala. It is considered the most crucial source population within the Western Ghats landscape. The contiguous network of Tiger Reserves and Protected Areas in the Western Ghats harbours the largest tiger population in the world, estimated at 828 tigers.

Mokambika–Kali–Mhadei complex: The greater Kali landscape, encompasses the Mollem-Netravali cluster in Goa, Anshi-Dandeli-Sharavathi Valley-Mookambika, and the Reserve Forests of Haliyal and Yellapura in Karnataka. Tiger presence was recorded in 5,000 km², and the tiger population in this complex is estimated to be 51.

Bhadra–Kudremukha complex: This complex is home to a population of 81 tigers that spans across 5,000 km². However, the recent estimation found that a significant portion of this landscape did not have any tiger presence.

Parambikulam–Anamalai complex: The tiger estimation exercise here in 2021-2022 recorded tiger presence in an area of ~3000 km². The estimated population is 57 tigers.

Periyar–Kalakad Mundanthurai complex: In the recent assessment, the tiger population in this region was estimated to be 70 tigers.

North East Hills and Brahmaputra Flood Plains Landscape:

Kaziranga–Orang–Pakke–Nameri block: This is the largest population block in this landscape and it has an estimated 172 tigers.

Manas–Buxa–Neora–Mahananda block: This cluster has an estimated tiger population of 61 tigers. It is connected to the tiger population of Bhutan across a shared border.

Dibang–Kamlang–Namdapha block: Three tigers were photo-captured in this block. However, no tiger was photo-captured and no tiger-positive scat was obtained in Kamlang Tiger Reserve during the estimation exercise.

Sundarbans Landscape:

Situated on the edge of the Bay of Bengal, the Sundarbans is the largest continuous mangrove habitat in the world, and the only mangrove forests known to have tigers. These mangroves span an area of approximately 10,000 km² and are located between two political entities, namely India, which accounts for 42% of the total area and Bangladesh that has 58%. On India's side of the Sundarbans, tiger density was estimated as 4.27 tigers per 100 km². Tigers occupied 1,895 km² in 2022 and 100 individual tigers were identified. Of these, 81 tigers were photo-captured in Sundarban Tiger Reserve, and 20 tigers were photo-captured in adjoining South 24 Parganas. However, one tiger was common between both divisions.

The strategy for tiger conservation in India is led by the National Tiger Conservation Authority of India and revolves around the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972. Between 1973 and the mid-1980s, Tiger Reserves and many protected areas (66 National Parks and 421 Wildlife Sanctuaries) were set aside to protect large tracts of wildlife habitat, including for the tiger.

By 2023, fifty years later, this had increased to 998 Protected Areas (106 National Parks, 567 wildlife sanctuaries, 105 Conservation Reserves and 220 Community Reserves), covering an area of 173,629 km² or 5.28% of India's geographical area (WII, ENVIS, 2023). Fifty-five Tiger Reserves had been notified, which include many National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries. This additional protection has resulted in an increase in tiger densities at many locations. However, fragmentation and isolation of tiger habitats, poaching of prey species and poaching for the trade in tiger parts destined for markets outside India's borders, and human-tiger conflict, still threaten a future for wild tigers in India.

Large development projects, such as mining, thermal and hydroelectric dams, highways and railway lines are also taking their toll on tiger habitat. Huge swathes of forest land have been diverted and destroyed to facilitate such projects. Though mostly outside the protected network, the loss of this vital habitat could have serious repercussions on tiger conservation in India.

Wildlife Protection Society of India (WPSI) was founded in 1994, and for the past 30 years the Society has made a sincere and concerted effort to gather accurate information on tiger poaching occurring throughout India. WPSI's extensive wildlife crime database has detailed information on a total of 1,402 tigers that have been killed by poaching from 1994 to 2023. These figures are reported cases and most likely represent only a percentage of the actual poaching activity in India. An undercover investigation by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and WPSI in 2005, revealed that the trade in tiger and leopard body parts in China continues to thrive.

(For historical information, refer to Status of Tiger and Leopard ,  Skinning The Cat (5mb) download video (5mb) requires Real Player)

Despite complex problems, India still holds the very real possibility of being able to save tigers in the wild, in its hands. Tigers still occur in 18 states within the Republic of India, with nine states reporting populations in excess of 100 tigers. Thanks to the government's protection measures and to officers who have the difficult task of managing India's protected areas, often with limited resources, there are still areas with large tiger populations and extensive tracts of protected habitat. The Indian conservation and scientific community is also a proven force and there are a number of dedicated organisations that are effectively involved in hands-on tiger conservation efforts. They help to keep the issue energized on a national level and  tenaciously try to increase political and public will to secure a future for wild tigers.