Tiger, India’s national animal evokes strong emotions. We revere it, worship it, love it, fear it and at times, also hate it. Nevertheless, it is always around as a powerful icon of India’s cultural and natural heritage.
WWF-India’s Work for Tiger
A rich history of conservation
For WWF-India, tiger conservation has always been an article of faith. Over the last 36 years, WWF has engaged with various stakeholders, including local communities, the Forest Department, other Government agencies, school children and civil society, trying to find a common way forward to lend support to conservation of wild tigers.
WWF’s efforts to save the tiger in India started in the early 1970s and through its vital support ‘Project Tiger’ was launched in India in 1973. WWF-India’s Tiger Conservation Programme (TCP) was launched in the early 1990s.
WWF’s efforts to save the tiger in India started in the early 1970s and through its vital support ‘Project Tiger’ was launched in India in 1973. WWF-India’s Tiger Conservation Programme (TCP) was launched in the early 1990s.
© Ameen Ahmed/WWF-India
WWF-India is supporting communities around tiger reserves to reduce dependance on forest resources
Early 70s to 2003: Focus on individual PAs
Till 2003 the TCP focused on individual PAs. Direct infrastructure support was provided to Protected Areas (PAs) which included equipment, vehicles, clothing, patrol camps and the like. Till date the need based and crucial support for tiger conservation has been given in 55 tiger reserves / national parks / wildlife sanctuaries and forest divisions in buffer areas of tiger reserves. Read more…
2004- Current: The landscape approach
In 2003-04, WWF-India initiated its field interventions for tiger conservation through a landscape approach which is primarily geared to secure critical corridors needed for movement of tigers between tiger reserves and other forests. WWF-India currently works for tiger conservation in the following landscapes:- Satpuda Maikal (SML)
- Terai Arc (TAL)
- Western Ghats-Nilgiris
- Sunderbans
- North Bank (NBL)
- Kaziranga Karbi Anglong (KKL)
Current goals and objectives to save the tiger:
WWF-India’s goal is to restore and maintain tiger habitats, protect the tiger and its prey base in important tiger landscapes in India.
The objectives are to:
- Protect, restore and manage corridors to ensure connectivity between tiger habitats while ensuring that human-tiger conflicts are reduced.
- Reduce pressures on tiger habitats by promoting alternative livelihoods for local communities .
- Create incentives for local communities as well as state and regional government and opinion-makers to support tiger conservation.
- Enhance capacities of the Forest Department to control poaching of tigers and prey species.
- Promote the political will as well as popular support within all sectors of society for tiger conservation.
Emergency support to wildlife areas
Helping overcome exigencies at the field level in critical wildlife habitats, particularly the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, has been another important component of WWF-India’s work for wildlife conservation.From the first park to benefit from this fund – Kaziranga to Dudhwa that benefited in October 2009, this fund has helped a number of parks. Read more…
