Project Tiger was launched on April 1, 1973, at Jim Corbett National Park under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as a centrally sponsored scheme to arrest the precipitous decline of Panthera tigris populations in India. Initially covering nine designated reserves spanning 9,115 square kilometers, the conservation framework received statutory backing through the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2006, which inserted Chapter IV-B to establish the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). Chaired by the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, the NTCA regulates tiger conservation plans, monitors habitat corridors, and enforces anti-poaching operations. Under Section 38V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, tiger reserves are legally divided into an inviolate Core or Critical Tiger Habitat where forestry and human habitation are phased out, surrounded by a multi-use Buffer or Peripheral zone fostering ecological connectivity. Every four years, the NTCA in collaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) conducts the All India Tiger Estimation using camera-trapping mark-recapture methodologies and the digital patrol-monitoring application M-STrIPES. India harbors over seventy percent of the global wild tiger population, commemorating fifty years of Project Tiger in 2023 with the launch of the International Big Cat Alliance.
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Project Tiger was inaugurated on April 1, 1973, at Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, initially encompassing nine tiger reserves across an area of 9,115 square kilometers.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was accorded statutory status following the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2006 under Chapter IV-B.
The NTCA is chaired by the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, while the Minister of State serves as its Vice-Chairperson.
Section 38V of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 legally mandates state governments to notify tiger reserves upon recommendations of the NTCA.
Tiger reserves consist of a legally demarcated Core or Critical Tiger Habitat that must remain inviolate, and an outer Buffer or Peripheral Area supporting regulated co-existence.
Section 38W of the Wildlife (Protection) Act dictates that no alteration of tiger reserve boundaries shall be made except on a recommendation of the NTCA and approval of the National Board for Wildlife.
India conducts the All India Tiger Estimation cycle quadrennially (every four years), led jointly by the NTCA and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers - Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) is a GPS-based mobile application launched in 2010 for field patrolling and ecological data collection.
India doubled its wild tiger population ahead of the target year 2022 established under the St. Petersburg Declaration on Tiger Conservation (Tx2 goal) adopted in 2010.
In April 2023, India marked the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger in Mysuru, Karnataka, officially announcing the launch of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA).
Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve, spanning across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, represents the largest tiger reserve in India by geographic land area.
Orang Tiger Reserve and Bor Tiger Reserve rank among the smallest tiger reserves in India by core area.
Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand maintains the highest individual tiger density among all protected reserves in India.
The Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF) is a specialized paramilitary force raised by states with NTCA funding to combat organized poaching syndicates in sensitive reserves.
Voluntary village relocation from core tiger habitats is incentivized by the NTCA with statutory financial rehabilitation packages of up to fifteen lakh rupees per adult family unit.
Which tiger reserve in the state of Tamil Nadu was declared as the country's 51st Tiger Reserve in 2021, combining two adjoining wildlife sanctuaries in the Western Ghats?
Verified Explanation
Srivilliputhur-Megamalai Tiger Reserve was notified in February 2021 by combining the Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary and Megamalai Wildlife Sanctuary, protecting the Vaigai river catchment.
2ID: GK-WILD-00251
easyProject Tiger & Elephant Reserves
Which tiger reserve in Maharashtra, established in 1995, is the oldest and largest national park / tiger reserve in the state?
Verified Explanation
Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district is Maharashtra's oldest and largest tiger reserve, comprising Tadoba National Park and Andhari Wildlife Sanctuary.
3ID: GK-WILD-00254
easyProject Tiger & Elephant Reserves
Bandipur Tiger Reserve, one of the original nine tiger reserves established at the inception of Project Tiger in 1973, is located in which state?
Verified Explanation
Bandipur Tiger Reserve is located in Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka, forming a contiguous protected landscape with Nagarhole, Mudumalai, and Wayanad.
4ID: GK-WILD-00257
easyProject Tiger & Elephant Reserves
Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, famous for its historic 10th-century fort situated inside the park, is located in which district of Rajasthan?
Verified Explanation
Ranthambore Tiger Reserve is located at the junction of the Aravalli and Vindhya hill ranges in Sawai Madhopur district of Rajasthan.
5ID: GK-WILD-00260
easyProject Tiger & Elephant Reserves
Which Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan became the world's first tiger reserve to successfully reintroduce tigers through aerial translocation in 2008 after local poaching extinction?
Verified Explanation
Sariska Tiger Reserve in Alwar district of Rajasthan successfully reintroduced tigers in 2008 via Indian Air Force helicopter translocations from Ranthambore.
6ID: GK-WILD-00269
mediumProject Tiger & Elephant Reserves
Pakke Tiger Reserve (Pakhui), which won the India Biodiversity Award for its community-led Hornbill Nest Adoption Programme, is located in which state?
Verified Explanation
Pakke Tiger Reserve in East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh is acclaimed for conserving great hornbills through partnership with the local Nyishi community.
7ID: GK-WILD-00272
mediumProject Tiger & Elephant Reserves
Through which tiger reserve in Madhya Pradesh does the Ken River flow, serving as the central lifeline and gorge corridor for aquatic fauna?
Verified Explanation
The Ken River flows northeast through the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, creating breathtaking riverine ravines and home to long-snouted gharials.
8ID: GK-WILD-00275
mediumProject Tiger & Elephant Reserves
Amrabad Tiger Reserve, one of the largest tiger reserves in India by core area situated in the Nallamala Hills, is located in which state?
Verified Explanation
Amrabad Tiger Reserve was carved out of the northern section of Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve and lies in Nagarkurnool and Nalgonda districts of Telangana.
9ID: GK-WILD-00278
mediumProject Tiger & Elephant Reserves
Satkosia Tiger Reserve, situated along the magnificent gorge of the Mahanadi River, is located in which state?
Verified Explanation
Satkosia Tiger Reserve encompasses the Satkosia Gorge of the Mahanadi River in Angul, Cuttack, Nayagarh, and Boudh districts of Odisha.
10ID: GK-WILD-00281
mediumProject Tiger & Elephant Reserves
Dampa Tiger Reserve, situated in Mamit district along the international border with Bangladesh, is the largest wildlife sanctuary in which state?
Verified Explanation
Dampa Tiger Reserve covers approximately 500 sq km in Mamit district of western Mizoram, notified as a tiger reserve in 1994.