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Last Updated:: 31/07/2017
Poachers still a threat, says Environment Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan
Environment Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan on Saturday said India is still battling with poachers to conserve tigers in the country, but expressed hope that with collective effort, the number of big cats in the country would double in the next five years.
India is currently home to 70% of the world’s tiger population in over 17 States and 50 sanctuaries across the country. “We are still fighting against the poachers on a war footing. They (poachers) are foiling all our techniques. They develop techniques to overpower our systems. This is a big fight,” Mr. Vardhan said. “We had over 1 lakh tigers a century ago, now are happy with just 2,226,” the Minister said on the occasion of World Tiger Day.
India is a part of the St Petersburg target, commonly referred to as the global wildlife conservation goal TX2, which aims to double the tiger numbers in the participating countries by 2022.
“Once the country is together in conserving tigers, we can achieve the target of doubling the tiger population by 2022,” he said.
Mr. Vardhan said tiger-bearing forests play a mitigative role in combating climate change, besides the value of ecosystem services. He lauded the Uttarakhand government for an increase in the number of tigers in the State to 242. Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda attended the event along with members of the Global Tiger Forum and World Wildlife Fund-India.
Source: The Hindu