India hosts nearly 70% of the world’s wild tiger population. With tiger numbers on the rise, the government is trying to manage them through a landscape-level approach, Union Environment Minister Bhupinder Yadav said in an interview with HT ahead of the first International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) summit in New Delhi on June 1-2. Edited excerpts from the interview:
What is the policy for dealing with tigers outside reserves?
India has been monitoring tiger numbers inside and outside tiger reserves through the All India Tiger Estimate issued every four years. The government, through the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), has launched the ‘Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves’ project which focuses on areas outside the reserves that have problems with human-tiger interaction. The first phase of the project was implemented across 40 forest divisions in nine states, focusing on conflict mitigation through proactive efforts, rapid response mechanisms and rescue of animals involved in conflict situations. Emphasis was placed on technological interventions, such as monitoring animals around forest edges, developing early warning systems, and providing forest departments with the necessary infrastructure to effectively deal with such situations.
Capacity building of frontline forest staff and strengthening community engagement are also key components of the project, ensuring a more coordinated and sustainable approach towards tiger conservation and coexistence.
How can pressures on big cat habitats, especially from mining and infrastructure, be addressed?
Conservation and development are not mutually exclusive, but are implemented through scientific planning and sustainable practices. Big cat habitats are ecological assets that provide water, climate resilience and ecosystem services to millions of people. The government has institutionalized safeguards in the form of environmental impact assessments, mandatory wildlife permits, eco-sensitive zones around protected areas, enhancement of wildlife corridors, and mitigation measures such as bridges and tunnels, which are increasingly integrated into infrastructure planning.
India is working to promote landscape conservation through initiatives such as Project Tiger, Project Cheetah, Project Lion, and Project Snow Leopard, expanding protected areas and corridors, and integrating technology-based monitoring and community engagement. Through IBCA, India is promoting international cooperation and sharing of knowledge and best practices to balance environmental conservation and development needs.
Do you think high tiger numbers require a strategy to manage them and control conflict?
India’s success in conservation, especially the steady increase in tiger numbers over the years, reflects the effectiveness of sustainable conservation efforts, habitat management, and community engagement under initiatives such as Project Tiger. The presence of thriving tiger populations in some human-dominated landscapes presents emerging management challenges, including spread into areas of human use and the potential for human-wildlife interactions.
Going forward, with tiger conservation and the challenges they face, the focus is not simply on population numbers alone, but on ensuring that balance is maintained at the landscape level through habitat connectivity, prey augmentation, scientific monitoring, and community-focused conflict mitigation measures.
The Ministry is working to enhance coexistence strategies, early warning systems, and secure corridors to maintain gene flow between regions and enable the smooth spread of tigers from areas of high density to areas of low density. The goal is to maintain conservation gains while reducing conflict and maintaining ecological and social balance. NTCA has issued a standard operating procedure to effectively manage the rehabilitation of tigers from source areas at the landscape level.
How will we balance the conservation of these habitats with development pressures against the backdrop of the goal of a developed India by 2047?
See Fixit Bharat [developed India] 2047 is not just about economic growth. It is about sustainable and inclusive growth. India’s development path is rooted in the principle of ‘green living’ and the fundamental understanding that environmental security forms the basis of economic security.
Over the past decade, India has witnessed a significant expansion of infrastructure while also recording growth in tiger numbers and strengthening conservation frameworks. India hosts nearly 70% of the world’s wild tiger population, reflecting our commitment to development and environmental stewardship. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is pursuing a model where economic progress, climate responsibility, and biodiversity conservation mutually reinforce each other. This is the essence of Fixit Bharat – sustainable, resilient and future-ready development.
How can IBCA help protect big cat habitats in their home countries?
It can play a transformative role in protecting big cat habitats by promoting landscape-level conservation, enhancing ecological connectivity, and enabling coordinated international action across range countries, along with building the capacity of protected area managers. Many big cat habitats are facing pressures from habitat fragmentation, expanding infrastructure, and climate change. Because big cats need large, connected landscapes for their survival, conservation efforts cannot remain confined to isolated protected areas. IBCA can help countries adopt science-based habitat management approaches that integrate wildlife corridors, ecological restoration, and climate resilience conservation planning.
IBCA provides a platform for sharing best practices, technologies and policy frameworks between member countries. Mitigation measures for linear infrastructure practiced in India can become a model for development in other range countries. Through initiatives such as technology-enabled monitoring systems, conservation standards, and centers of excellence, countries can access scientific tools and institutional support to protect and restore habitats.
The Alliance could also facilitate cross-border cooperation on shared landscapes, promote wildlife-friendly infrastructure planning, and mobilize sustainable finance through carbon markets, multilateral agencies, companies, and philanthropies. Equally important is IBCA’s focus on community engagement, sustainable livelihoods, and coexistence models, ensuring that local communities become partners in conserving big cat habitats.
What are India’s best practices that other countries can emulate?
India’s experience shows that successful big cat conservation requires a combination of strong political commitment, scientific management, and community engagement. Through initiatives such as Project Tiger, Project Cheetah, Project Lion, and Project Snow Leopard, India has built strong institutional frameworks that support habitat protection, wildlife monitoring, anti-poaching, and species recovery efforts. India has formed statutory bodies like NTCA that focus on scientific management of tigers, related species and their habitats. The primary focus is on the use of technologies – camera traps, GIS mapping, digital patrol systems – which have also enhanced evidence-based conservation.
Another important lesson from India is the landscape-based approach to environmental conservation. India is focusing not only on protected areas but also on maintaining wildlife corridors and ecological connectivity through forests and grasslands. Local communities are made active partners through environmental development programmes, compensation mechanisms, and sustainable livelihood opportunities linked to conservation and ecotourism. Through IBCA, India aims to share these experiences and encourage greater cooperation between countries where big cats live in areas such as capacity building, conservation financing, technological advancement, and protection.
