New Delhi: As many as 14 Indian tiger reserves received a globally- recognized accreditation from the Centre on International Tiger Day (July 29).
The theme for this year was “Save Forests, Save Wildlife: Their survival is in our hands.”
Union Environment Minister Bhupendra Yadav said that the population of tigers is an indicator of a well-balanced ecosystem. “On this Day, we are not just protecting our tigers, but also saving the ecosystem and our forests.”
“We want all 51 of our tiger reserves to get the CATS accreditation and stay protected,” he added.
The 14 reserves receiving the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CATS) accreditation include tiger reserves at Kaziranga, Manas, and Orang (Assam), Kanha, Satpura, and Panna (Madhya Pradesh), Anamalai and Mudumalai (Tamil Nadu), Bandipur (Karnataka), Dudhwa (Uttar Pradesh), Parambikulam (Kerala), Pench (Maharashtra), Sundarbans (West Bengal), and Valmiki (Bihar).
Assam’s Environment and Forest Minister Parimal Suklabaidya welcomed the step saying that increasing big cats’ numbers should encourage conservation and habitat restoration with unwavering commitment. The numbers will rise if we practice regular afforestation and increase awareness about tiger conservation.
“Assam and the entire nation fulfilled the goal of doubling its tiger population 4 years ahead of the St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation,” he added.
Assam has a total tiger population of 200, including 121 in Kaziranga, 48 in Manas, 28 in Orang, and 3 tigers in Nameri.
The CATS accreditation is a globally accepted tool setting standards for the management, progress, and assessment of tigers in 94 Indian sites and 7 other countries.
The International Tiger Day is celebrated annually on July 29 to generate global awareness and a need for conservation towards the rapidly deteriorating tiger population.
(Avya Mathur)