Alwar, June 28 (IANS) Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav said on Sunday that tiger conservation is not merely about protecting a single species, but about conserving forests, watersheds, the rich biodiversity that shares the tiger’s habitat and involving local communities.

After inaugurating a National Workshop on “Tiger Re-introduction: Opportunities & Challenges” at Alwar in Rajasthan, the Minister said on X, “On a day marking 18 years of tiger reintroduction in Sariska, inaugurated the workshop on ‘Tiger Re-introduction: Opportunities and Challenges’, along with Rajasthan Minister @Sanjay4India1ji.”

“The workshop will bring together field directors, wildlife experts and chief wildlife wardens from the different tiger landscapes of India and their respective states, to discuss the key management aspects of tiger reintroduction and augmentation programmes,” he said.

“It will draw extensively from the learnings and experiences of ongoing programmes, fostering knowledge exchange for strengthening future tiger conservation efforts,” said Yadav.

Describing the Sariska tiger reintroduction programme as a historic milestone in wildlife conservation, Yadav said it represents the world’s first successful scientific reintroduction of tigers into a landscape where the species had become locally extinct.

He said the programme has emerged as a global example of successful species restoration through scientific management, dedicated conservation efforts and community participation.

The Minister said Sariska has witnessed remarkable recovery from a situation of local extinction in 2005 to supporting 56 tigers today.

He said Sariska today serves as a global example of successful species restoration and offers valuable lessons for future conservation initiatives.

Highlighting the country’s achievements in tiger conservation, the Minister said the number of tiger reserves has increased from 46 to 58 over the past decade.

He also noted that India has successfully achieved the St. Petersburg Declaration target of doubling its wild tiger population by 2022.

The Minister said that the successful reintroduction of tigers in Panna and Sariska was possible because of the support and participation of local communities.

He noted that similar success could not be achieved in Satkosia Tiger Reserve, Odisha, due to the lack of community support.

Yadav said that the success of Project Cheetah has also been driven in large measure by the active participation of local communities.

The Minister stressed that while efforts are made to attract tourists from across the country and abroad, equal importance should be given to the welfare and interests of local communities.

Yadav also said that in landscapes where the distribution of tigers and elephants overlaps, emphasis should be placed on maintaining and strengthening landscape connectivity.

–IANS

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