 Logo of the NTCA | |
| Wildlife conservation agency overview | |
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| Formed | December 2005 |
| Parent department | Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change,Government of India |
| Child Wildlife conservation agency | |
| Website | https://www.tigernet.nic.in/ |
| Wildlife of India |
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Related topics |
TheNational Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is awildlife conservation agency formed to protect theendangeredBengal tiger in India. It was established by theGovernment of India under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in December 2005 for the management ofProject Tiger and the varioustiger reserves in India. It has been constituted under section 38 L (1) of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. As of 2023, there were 3,682 wild tigers in India, which is almost 75% of the world's wild tiger population.
In 1973,Project Tiger was initiated by theMinistry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change of theGovernment of India, which was aimed at protecting theBengal Tiger and its habitats and establishing dedicatedtiger reserves for sustaining tiger populations.[1] The state governments were entrusted with the planning and management of notified areas.[2][3] In December 2005, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was formed under section 38 of the amendedWild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, to administer the tiger reserves which were set up as a part of Project Tiger with Project Tiger becoming a centrally sponsored scheme (CSS) to provide funding for the establishment and administration of the tiger reserves.[1][4]
The primary objective for the establishment of the NTCA was to create a statutory body to provide legal directives for the implementation of the Project Tiger. The agency is also tasked with facilitation the relationship between the central and state governments, providing updates to theParliament of India, and addressing concerns of people living in the buffer zones of the Tiger reserves. The NTCA approves the Tiger conservation plans outlined by the state governments.[4][5]
The NTCA is responsible for providing requisite technological and legal support for the implementation of the Tiger conservation plans and training the forest officers. It is also tasked with monitoring and surveillance of tiger habitats, population estimation of tiger and prey, and promotion of other allied research. Other functions of the NTCA include the evaluation and approval of projects within the tiger reserves, enacting guidelines for tourism, management of concerns of the local population in the adjoining areas of the tiger reserves to effectively manage forest resources and minimisehuman wildlife conflict.[4][5]Wireless communication systems,infraredthermal cameras andmonitoring systems have been developed by the NTCA to assist in patrol activities.[4][6][7]
The authority is headed by theMinister of Environment and Forests with theminister of state serving as the deputy. It includes the following members:[8]
During the tiger census of 2006, a new methodology was used extrapolating site-specific densities of tigers, their co-predators and prey derived fromcamera trap and sign surveys usingGIS. Based on the result of these surveys, the total tiger population was estimated at 1,411 individuals ranging from 1,165 to 1,657 adult and sub-adult tigers of more than 1.5 years of age.[9][10] The 2010 National Tiger Assessment estimated the total population of wild tigers in India at 1,706. As perMinistry of Environment and Forests, the wild tiger population in India stood at 2,226 in 2014 with an increase of 30.5% since the 2010 estimate.[11]
In 2018, according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority, there were an estimated 2,603–3,346 wild tigers with an average of 2,967 in existence in India.[12] The wild tiger population increased to 3,682 as of 2022.[13] As India is home to majority of the global wild tiger population, the increase in population oftigers in India played a major role in driving up global populations as well; the number of wild tigers globally rose from 3,159 in 2010 to 3,890 in 2016 according to theWorld Wide Fund and Global Tiger Forum.[14]
In 1973, nine protected areas were initially designated as tiger reserves. By the late 1980s, the initial nine reserves covering an area of 9,115 km2 (3,519 sq mi) had been increased to 15 reserves covering an area of 24,700 km2 (9,500 sq mi).[15] By 1997, 23 tiger reserves encompassed an area of 33,000 km2 (13,000 sq mi).[16] As of March 2025, there are 58protected areas that have been designated as tiger reserves.[2]
| Assam | |
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| Arunachal Pradesh | |
| Andhra Pradesh | |
| Bihar | |
| Chhattisgarh | |
| Jharkhand | |
| Karnataka | |
| Kerala | |
| Madhya Pradesh | |
| Maharashtra | |
| Mizoram | |
| Odisha | |
| Rajasthan | |
| Tamil Nadu | |
| Telangana | |
| Uttar Pradesh | |
| Uttarakhand | |
| West Bengal | |
| International | |
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| National | |
