India records less than 100 tiger deaths for the first time in three years
Paper: GS III
Topic: Conservation, Environmental Pollution and Degradation, Environmental Impact Assessment.
For Prelims: Project Tiger Reserve (PTR).
For Mains: Need for conservation of endangered species, government policy to save the environment and their habitat.
Why in News: India records less than 100 tiger deaths for the first time in three years.
About Project Tiger Reserve (PTR)
- Project Tiger is an important movement aimed at the conservation of tiger in India.
- Being the national animal of India, many conservation areas were created to make sure that no human could enter the area and do any harm to the tiger or its habitat.
- Project Tiger was first initiated in the year April 1, 1973, and is still going on.
- This project was started to save tigers. The much-needed project was launched in Jim Corbett National Park, Uttrakhand under the leadership of Indira Gandhi.
- There are 50 tiger reserves in India which are governed by Project Tiger which is administrated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). India is home to 80 percent of tigers in the world. In 2006, there were 1,411 tigers which increased to 1,706 in 2010, 2,226 in 2014 and 2967 in 2018.
- Jim Corbett, Bandipur, Ranthambore, Nagarhole, Nazgira, Dudhwa, Gir, Kanha, Sunderbans, Bandhavgarh, Manas, Panna, Melghat, Palamau, Similipal, Periyar, Sariska, Buxa, Indravati, Namdapha, Mundanthurai, Valmiki, Pench, Tadoba Andhari, Dampa, Bhadra, Pench (Maharashtra), Pakke, Nameri, Satpura, Anamalai, Udanti- Sitanadi, Satkosia, Kaziranga, Achanakmar, Dandeli Anshi, Sanjay- Dubri, Mudumalai, Nagarhole (Karnataka), Parambikulam, Sahyadri, Nilgiri, Kawal, Sathyamangalam, Mukandra, Srisailam, Amrabad, Pilibhit, Bor, Rajaji, Orang and Kamlang are the national parks involved in the Project Tiger. Recent additions to this project are Ratapani Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh), Sunabeda Tiger Reserve (Odisha), and Guru Ghasidas (Chhattisgarh).
Tiger Data- 2019 – India records less than 100 tiger deaths for the first time in three years
- According to data from the Ministry of Forest Environment and Climate Change (MoEFCC), there were 84 cases of tiger deaths in the country and 11 cases of seizures (in which a tiger is presumed dead on the basis of body parts seized by authorities). Both put together, the number of tiger deaths in 2019 was 95.
- The data for 2019 on tiger mortality also confirmed 22 cases of poaching and one case of tiger poisoning across the country.
- An analysis showed that 16 out of the 22 poaching incidents were reported outside tiger reserves.
- For the first time in the past three years, the number of tiger deaths in a year in the country has been less than 100.
- In 2018, the number of tiger deaths recorded was 100 (93 mortalities and seven seizures). The number was 115 (98 mortalities and 17 seizures) in 2017, and 122 (101 mortalities and 21 seizures) in 2016.
- Most number of death cases
- Madhya Pradesh, which has the highest number of tigers in the country (526, as per the last census), recorded the most number of cases (31) of tiger deaths.
- This was followed by Maharashtra, which reported 18 deaths.
- Karnataka, another State with a high tiger population, recorded 12 deaths, and Uttarakhand recorded ten deaths.
- Tamil Nadu recorded seven cases of tiger deaths.
- Deaths were also recorded from non-tiger bearing States like Gujarat, where a tiger had strayed into the State and died.
- Growing numbers:
- As per the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), these figures should be seen in the context that tiger numbers in the country were growing.
- The last tiger census report, released in July 2019, had placed the number of tigers in India at 2,967, up by a third when compared with the numbers reported in 2014.
- Why numbers has reduced?
- The reduced numbers of tiger mortalities are because of surveillance, good management of Tiger Reserves and a lot of awareness and education programmes on tiger conservation.
- Using technology to maintain surveillance on tigers has also come as an added advantage.
Conclusion
- There has been a 30% rise in the population in the last eight years. This says a lot about the efforts put in by the government and the national parks.
- With the increase in tiger numbers, more areas in the country need to be declared Tiger Reserves. Currently 50 Tiger Reserves with an area of about 73,000 sq. km.
- With tigers coming out of Reserves and covering long distances, need more Tiger Reserves.
Prelims Question
With reference to the Project Tiger Reserve consider the following statements:
- There are 50 tiger reserves in India which are governed by Project Tiger which is administrated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
- Recently the results of the 4th cycle of All India Tiger Estimation 2018 were released and the count of Tigers in India rises to 2967; Madhya Pradesh roars the loudest.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(A) 1 Only
(B) 2 Only
(C) Both 1 and 2
(D) None of the above
Answer: C
Explanation:
- Why statement 1 is correct: There are 50 tiger reserves in India which are governed by Project Tiger which is administrated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). India is home to 80 percent of tigers in the world. In 2006, there were 1,411 tigers which increased to 1,706 in 2010, 2,226 in 2014 and 2967 in 2018.
- Jim Corbett, Bandipur, Ranthambore, Nagarhole, Nazgira, Dudhwa, Gir, Kanha, Sunderbans, Bandhavgarh, Manas, Panna, Melghat, Palamau, Similipal, Periyar, Sariska, Buxa, Indravati, Namdapha, Mundanthurai, Valmiki, Pench, Tadoba Andhari, Dampa, Bhadra, Pench (Maharashtra), Pakke, Nameri, Satpura, Anamalai, Udanti- Sitanadi, Satkosia, Kaziranga, Achanakmar, Dandeli Anshi, Sanjay- Dubri, Mudumalai, Nagarhole (Karnataka), Parambikulam, Sahyadri, Nilgiri, Kawal, Sathyamangalam, Mukandra, Srisailam, Amrabad, Pilibhit, Bor, Rajaji, Orang and Kamlang are the national parks involved in the Project Tiger. Recent additions to this project are Ratapani Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh), Sunabeda Tiger Reserve (Odisha), and Guru Ghasidas (Chhattisgarh).
Why statement 2 is correct:
- On the occasion of International Tiger Day, Prime Minister released the results of the fourth cycle of All India Tiger Estimation – 2018, and the count of tigers in India has risen to 2967, in 2018, according to this census.
- The 33% rise in tiger numbers is the highest ever recorded between cycles which stood at 21% between 2006 to 2010 and 30% between 2010 and 2014.
- The rise in tiger numbers was in conformity with the average annual growth rate of tigers since, 2006.
- Madhya Pradesh saw the highest number of tigers at 526, closely followed by Karnataka at 524 with Uttarakhand at number 3 with 442 tigers.
- It was a moment of pride for the country as it achieved its commitment to the Petersburg Declaration, of doubling Tiger population, much in advance to the 2022 deadline.
Science congress takes ‘extra care’ to avoid pseudo-science
GS Paper III
Topic: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life
Prelims:
Mains: Pseudoscience
What’s the News?
On the eve of the 107th Indian Science Congress (ISC), set to commence in Bengaluru, organizers said they had taken “special care” to ensure that ‘pseudo-scientific’ articles or talks did not creep in.
Indian Science Congress:
- Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) is a premier scientific organization of India
- The Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) owes its origin to the foresight and initiative of two British Chemists, namely, Professor J. L. Simonsen and Professor P.S. MacMahon
- It occurred to them that scientific research in India might be stimulated if an annual meeting of research workers somewhat on the lines of the British Association for the Advancement of Science could be arranged.
Objectives:
- To advance and promote the cause of science in India;
- To hold an annual congress at a suitable place in India;
- To publish such proceedings, journals, transactions and other publications as may be considered desirable;
- To secure and manage funds and endowments for the promotion of Science including the rights of disposing of or selling all or any portion of the properties of the Association.
Science congress, 2020:
- The theme for the congress this year is ‘science and technology: rural development’.
- To emphasise it, the function, which draws young scholars in droves, will include a Farmer’s Science Congress, providing a platform for innovative farmers.
- The farmer’s congress will also discuss agrarian distress and strategies to mitigate and navigate the impact of climate change on agriculture, among other pressing issues.
Pseudoscience:
- Not all of the papers presented are on how Kauravas (from the Mahabharata) were bona fide test-tube babies (at the latest ISC) or on India’s fleet of 40 inter-planetary vimanas from “ancient times” (ISC 2015)—the intent behind such papers is to restore the glory of ancient India’s scientific achievements.
- In front of an audience that included school-going children, Rao, a professor of chemistry, also said that Ravana had 24 aircraft and Sri Lanka had airports “in the times of the Ramayana”. Another gentleman, a scientist from Tamil Nadu, said Einstein and Netwon misled the world, and that gravitational waves will be renamed “Narendra Modi waves”.
- The vimana paper draws from a text called Vaimanika Shastra, believed to have been authored by Rishi Bharadwaj. Scientific studies, however, trace its origins to a less haloed individual from 1904 AD (clearly not “ancient India”).
- Several experts have independently concurred that the laws of aerodynamics don’t support the possibility of the Vaimanika Shastra’s vimanas even taking off, much less hopping between planets. Genuine scientists, who suffer a collective cringe as news of such claims hits, have called for better vetting and the government to stop funding ISC if such standards continue.
- But, with PM Narendra Modi himself having likened Ganesha’s elephant-head to “plastic surgery in ancient India”, that seems unlikely.
Poor peer reviewing of journals:
- The solicitations for papers, which span across fields like agricultural sciences to archaeology, are sent to prominent colleges, universities and research institutes.
- The Kolkata-based ISCA has been the organiser of the congress since 1914, and is funded by the Union Department of Science and Technology.