Sites in India and Nepal win TX2 award for doubling tiger population

Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in India and Bardia National Park in Nepal, have won the prestigious 2022 TX2 Award for doubling their wild tiger population. The awards also celebrate the upcoming launch of the 2022 Lunar Year of the Tiger. It is one of the most ambitious conservation goals ever set for a single species.

2022 TX2 Award: Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve & Bardia National park

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The Sathyamangalam conservation area, which was designated a Tiger Reserve in 2013 was home to only 25 tigers in 2011 which now has approximately 80 tigers in the area. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve, located in the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot, supports one of the most important and largest tiger populations in the world.

The Nilgiri Biosphere Landscape that the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve (STR) is part of, is currently the home to the largest tiger population in the world. It includes three other major protected areas, Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, BR Hills Tiger Reserve and Bandipur Tiger Reserve and National Park.

Secretary-General and CEO, WWF India, Ravi Singh said, "The TX2 Awards celebrate the remarkable contributions made by government bodies, NGOs, and local communities to strengthen tiger conservation. To honour a recently notified Tiger Reserve like Sathyamangalam with the award is a step forward to inspire others to work towards preserving this magnificent species and its habitats."

Tigers numbered had dropped precipitously to as few as 3,200 in 2010 in India. Now, with approximately 3,900 tigers, India leads the tiger conservation efforts and Global Tiger protection schemes.

While congratulating the Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve on this achievement, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav tweeted, "The award is a testimony to the dedication of field staff in protecting our tigers and policies of the government of India for tiger conservation."

What are Tiger Range countries?

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The Tiger Range Countries are the regions of the world, where tigers still roam free. Currently, there are 13 Tiger Range Countries that are ratified by CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora). These countries work closely with world organisations to conserve Tiger habitat.

With an aim to double the number of tigers in the wild and to identify tiger conservation priorities for the next 12 years, the tiger range countries will convene at the second Global Tiger Summit in Vladivostok in September. The meeting would also assess the progress towards the ambitious TX2 goal.

What is the Tiger Conservation Excellence award?

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A second award for Tiger Conservation Excellence will be presented to Khata Forest Conservation Area in Nepal which secures transboundary connectivity for Tigers between Nepal and India. The award recognises the incredible transboundary Khata corridor initiative that has secured safe passage for Tigers between Bardia National Park in Nepal and Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary in India, with the help of community-based conservation efforts, including a network of 74 community forests covering 202 sq km.

Over the last five years, 46 individual Tigers have been detected using the corridor together with other iconic and threatened mammal species including the Asian elephant, and the greater one-horned Rhino.

Sugoto Roy, Coordinator of the Integrated Tiger Habitat Programme, IUCN, said, "Successful Tiger conservation involves continuous management and improvement of habitats at the landscape scale, rigorous monitoring of Tigers and their prey, and working extensively with local communities. All of these criteria have been met with excellence, giving us these globally significant results."

The awards are presented by the Fauna and Flora International (FFI), Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CA|TS), IUCN's Integrated Tiger Habitat Conservation Programme (ITHCP), Global Tiger Forum (GTF), UNDP, Panthera, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), The Lion's Share and WWF.

-With inputs from IANS