In India images of tigers are everywhere. The apex predator is seen accompanying Hindu gods and its face adorns political banners. Yet for most of the country’s history, spotting the actual animal had become ever harder. Poaching, deforestation and other human activity caused tiger populations to collapse from 40,000 at the beginning of the 20th century to fewer than 1,500 in 2006.
But now a recovery is afoot. Since 2006 the number of tigers in India has more than doubled, to 3,682. According to a new study published in the journal Science, the country is now home to 75% of the world’s tigers, despite having just 18% of the global tiger habitat. The big cats prowl 138,200 square kilometres (53,000 square miles) of land across the country, an area roughly the size of Greece.
To explain this trend, the researchers delved deeper into wildlife-survey data, gathered every four years since 2006 at a granular level (in grids of 100 square kilometres). This allowed them to examine how various habitat and economic indicators, such as land-use characteristics, livestock population and night-lights data, are tied to the prevalence of tigers within those grids. They find that tigers thrive in protected reserves, where prey is plentiful and human interference minimal. These reserves, which have grown in number and size, have far-reaching effects by helping other threatened species, such as elephants and leopards.
More surprisingly, the study shows that, though protected habitats are important, tigers can survive even in the presence of humans. Nearly half of India’s tigers live in what the researchers call “human multiple-use habitats”, which are home to 60m people. The study suggests that Indian officials have helped ensure peaceful coexistence by compensating farmers for lost livestock and channelling tourism revenues into local economies. Such measures are crucial. Tigers are more likely to disappear in places where there is armed conflict or poverty persists (because incentives for poaching are stronger).
Above all, the researchers argue that tigers are making a comeback because of the government’s dedication to helping its national animal. Not only do targeted laws exist to protect it, but governments across party lines have acted on them. The tiger’s cultural cachet has helped, but the researchers also credit Indian officials’ “meticulous governance” which, they write, holds lessons for conservationists in other countries, especially poor ones. But even Indian policymakers tackling thorny issues in other domains could take note. ■
Stay on top of our India coverage by signing up to Essential India, our free weekly newsletter.