Density estimation in tiger population in India
Recently, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has conducted a study. Preliminary findings from this study suggest that the tiger density in the Sundarbans may have reached the carrying capacity of these mangrove forests.
Carrying capacity can be defined as the average population size of a species in a particular habitat. The size of a species’ population is influenced by environmental factors such as adequate food, shelter, water and mates.
It is also an important basis or parameter for the measurement and management of human sustainable development.
Necessary Steps:
- Human interventions for livelihood have increased due to COVID-19. Therefore, the new criteria defining the maximum density of forest need to be revised.
- Sustainable land use needs to be given adequate incentives to reduce damage and promote acceptance of wildlife.
- Functional linkages should be established among all Tiger Reserves. This will allow healthy intermixing of tigers with their population.
- New management strategies for wildlife should be decentralized at the local level.
About Sundarbans:
- It is the largest mangrove delta in the world. It is the habitat of the Royal Bengal Tiger. It is spread over an area of 10,000 sq. km.
- It has an area of over 4,000 sq. km in West Bengal and the rest in Bangladesh.
- It is a Biosphere Reserve, National Park and Tiger Reserve.
- It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the year 1987.
Source – The Hindu
