With reference to the detailed report of Tiger Census 2018 released by Government of India in July 2020, which of the following Statement(s) is/are correct ? 1. India has 70% of total global tiger's population. 2. Nearly 30% of India's tigers live outside tiger reserve. Select the correct answer from the codes given below.
- (a)1 only
- (b)2 only
- (c)1 and 2 both
- (d)Neither 1 nor 2
Correct — C, both statements are correct. The detailed report 'Status of Tigers in India 2018' (from the 2018 All-India Tiger Estimation, released July 2020) put India's tiger count at about 2,967 and confirmed that India is home to roughly 70% of the world's wild tiger population — the largest of any country (Statement 1 true). It also found that nearly 30% of India's tigers live outside the notified tiger reserves — in reserve forests, corridors and multi-use landscapes — which is why corridor and landscape-level conservation matters (Statement 2 true). Since both hold, the answer is (c).
- (a)1 only — Incomplete — Statement 1 is true, but Statement 2 (about 30% of tigers outside reserves) is also true, so '1 only' is wrong.
- (b)2 only — Incomplete — Statement 2 is true, but Statement 1 (India holds ~70% of the world's tigers) is also true, so '2 only' is wrong.
- (d)Neither 1 nor 2 — Both statements are factually correct per the 2018 estimation report, so 'neither' is wrong.
India runs the world's largest tiger-conservation programme, Project Tiger (1973), overseen by the statutory National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. A country-wide tiger estimation is carried out every four years using camera traps and sign surveys by NTCA with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). Tigers are conserved in a core-buffer 'tiger reserve' model, but a large share of the population lives in forests and corridors beyond those notified reserves.
This is a both-statements current-affairs item. Both figures — India holding about 70% of the world's wild tigers, and roughly 30% of Indian tigers living outside tiger reserves — are headline findings of the 2018 estimation, so the intended answer is 'both correct'. The trap is doubting one of two individually well-publicised statistics.
- 2018 estimation: about 2,967 tigers in India (range ~2,603–3,346), up from 2,226 in 2014
- India holds roughly 70% of the world's wild tiger population — the largest of any country
- Nearly 30% of India's tigers are found outside notified tiger reserves
- Estimation by NTCA + Wildlife Institute of India; the 2018 camera-trap survey earned a Guinness World Record
- Doubting one of the two well-known figures and picking '1 only' or '2 only'
- Confusing the number of tigers (~2,967) with the number of tiger reserves (50+)
UPPSC/UPSC test the headline tiger-census numbers (total count, India's global share, share outside reserves) and the institutions (NTCA, WII, Project Tiger) behind them.
Consider the following protected areas: 1. Bandipur 2. Bhitarkanika 3. Manas 4. Sunderbans. Which of the above are declared Tiger Reserves?
- (a) 1 and 2 only
- (b) 1, 3 and 4 only
- (c) 2, 3 and 4 only
- (d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer(b) 1, 3 and 4 only
Same concept — India's tiger conservation programme (Project Tiger). UPPSC tests the 2018 census figures; UPSC tests which protected areas are notified tiger reserves (Bandipur, Manas, Sunderbans are; Bhitarkanika is a crocodile sanctuary).
- practice — not a real PYQ
As per the 2018 All-India Tiger Estimation, the total number of tigers in India was approximately:
- (a)1,706
- (b)2,226
- (c)2,967
- (d)3,890
Answer(c) 2,967 — up from 2,226 in the 2014 estimation.
- practice — not a real PYQ
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is:
- (a)A non-governmental organisation
- (b)A statutory body under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
- (c)A constitutional body
- (d)A wing of the Zoological Survey of India
Answer(b) A statutory body under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (2006 amendment).