Close on the heels of Indian scientists demonstrating the invaluable genetic diversity of the subcontinent’s big cats, here’s some more good news for tiger conservation in India.
© WWF
Last week, India officially launched an online database of authentic record of tiger deaths and other key wildlife species across the country. Tigernet is a collaborative effort of the National Tiger Conservation Authority of the environment and forests ministry and TRAFFIC-India, the wildlife trade monitoring network.
The idea is to compile and analyse such data as a management tool for tiger conservation in India. The website is a refreshingly candid venture that promises to be a transparent official record of deaths of the big cats in India. It gives tiger reserve directors and chief wildlife wardens in India the ability to key-in crucial information about tiger deaths, poaching and seizures.
Conservation experts have been crying foul for long on the lack of accurate information on such issues. The website answers a lot of questions raised time and again by NGOs and conservation workers and should go a long way in assisting anti-poaching efforts.
By significantly simplifying the tiger death reporting system and even findings of post mortem examinations, the government has shown its willingness to go a step further in its seriousness over transparency in wildlife conservation efforts.
Well done, Subhra, for this and the annual review of Indian science stories. Brilliant work. Do keep it up.
I feel there has to be an integrated effort to save nature and wildlife.Tiger info system will do the needful but wildlife conservation has not reached the masses…no clear policy, no clear activities. The government and media aren’t doing enough of what should be done.