Tiger Reserves, Ramsar Sites and Conservation in India
India is home to more than half of the world's wild tigers, and it is also one of the largest networks of protected wetlands on the planet. These two achievements are linked by a single idea, conservation, which means protecting habitats whole rather than saving one animal at a time. The tiger is protected through Project Tiger and a chain of tiger reserves, while wetlands are protected under the Ramsar Convention and managed as Ramsar sites. Assam and the North-East are central to both stories: Kaziranga and Manas are famous tiger reserves, and the Deepor Beel near Guwahati is an internationally recognised wetland. For competitive exams, the dates, the numbers, the firsts and the regional names in this chapter are asked again and again.
Project Tiger and the tiger reserves
Project Tiger was launched on 1 April 1973 to save the tiger and, through it, the forests and animals that share its home. It is run by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which gives the tiger reserves legal protection and funds their management. The first tiger reserve of India is the Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand, and there are now about 55 tiger reserves in the country. A tiger reserve usually has a core area kept free of human activity and a buffer area where regulated use is allowed, so that both the tiger and the people around it can survive. The tiger is called an umbrella species because protecting a large area for the tiger automatically protects countless smaller plants and animals that live in the same forest.
The great tiger reserves and the tiger states
The largest tiger reserve of India is the Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve in Andhra Pradesh, and the smallest is the Bor Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. In Assam, Kaziranga Tiger Reserve is famous for its tigers and was established as a tiger reserve in 2006, while the Orang Tiger Reserve is the state's second tiger reserve; the Manas Tiger Reserve was established in 2008. The Kaziranga Tiger Reserve is often described as having the highest tiger density in the world, which means the greatest number of tigers for each unit of area. Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tigers of any Indian state, and Assam has the highest number of tigers in the North-East. The city of Nagpur is popularly called the tiger capital of India because so many of the country's important tiger reserves lie in the forests of central India around it.
Tiger census and the tiger population
The national tiger count is called the All India Tiger Estimation, and it is carried out by the NTCA with the help of the Wildlife Institute of India. The most recent exercise was done in 2022 and the results were released in 2023, putting India's tiger population at 3,682. This is one of the great conservation success stories of the world, because the tiger population had fallen dramatically before Project Tiger began. A Sundarbans Tiger Reserve in West Bengal protects the mangrove-dwelling Bengal tiger, and the tiger reserves of the Himalayan foothills protect the tiger in the north. The census matters not only for the numbers but also because it shows which corridors are working and where habitat is being lost.
The Ramsar Convention and the wetlands of India
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty for the conservation and wise use of wetlands; it was signed at Ramsar in Iran in 1971, and India is one of its parties. A wetland listed under the convention is called a Ramsar site, and India today has about 85 Ramsar sites, the largest number in Asia. The first Ramsar site of India is Chilika Lake in Odisha, declared in 1981. The largest Ramsar site of India is the Sundarbans Wetland, which is also the largest wetland of the country. The largest freshwater lake of India is Wular Lake in Jammu and Kashmir, and the Himalayan Ramsar sites include Wular Lake and Renuka Lake. Tamil Nadu has the highest number of Ramsar sites of any state, which makes it a favourite question in current-affairs sections.
The wetlands and Ramsar sites of Assam
In Assam the best-known Ramsar site is the Deepor Beel, a wetland near Guwahati that was declared a Ramsar site in 2002. Its main attraction is its migratory birds, including storks and eagles, which arrive in large numbers in the winter. Along with the Sone Beel, the Deepor Beel is one of the wetlands of Assam most famous for migratory birds, and the Sone Beel in Karimganj is the largest wetland of the Barak valley. Wetlands such as these are important because they store flood water, recharge groundwater, support fisheries and act as stop-overs on the long migration routes of birds. Their main threats are encroachment, pollution, siltation and the diversion of water, and the Ramsar label is meant to bring international attention and support to their protection.
Conservation: threats and responses
The chief causes of the decline of the tiger population in India are poaching, habitat loss and the decline of the prey base, since a forest without deer and wild pig cannot feed many tigers. Wetlands face a parallel set of threats, mainly encroachment, pollution and siltation. India's response has been to build strong legal protection, to involve local communities, to monitor populations through scientific censuses and to protect the corridors that connect one reserve to another. Conservation works best when the same effort protects the tiger, the forest and the wetland, because they are parts of one living system.
Quick revision
For quick revision, lock in the dates and numbers. Project Tiger began on 1 April 1973 and is run by the NTCA; India has about 55 tiger reserves and about 85 Ramsar sites. The first tiger reserve is Jim Corbett, the largest is Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam and the smallest is Bor. The Kaziranga Tiger Reserve was established in 2006 and has the world's highest tiger density, the Orang reserve is the second in Assam and Manas was established in 2008. Madhya Pradesh leads in tiger numbers, Assam leads in the North-East, Nagpur is the tiger capital and the 2022 census counted 3,682 tigers. On the wetland side, the Ramsar Convention is from 1971, the first Indian site is Chilika Lake (1981), the largest is the Sundarbans Wetland, Wular is the largest freshwater lake and Tamil Nadu has the most Ramsar sites. In Assam the Deepor Beel became a Ramsar site in 2002 and the Sone Beel is the largest wetland of the Barak valley.
How to prepare this topic
- Learn the Project Tiger timeline as a story: 1973 the launch, Jim Corbett the first reserve, the NTCA the managing body and the All India Tiger Estimation the census.
- Memorise the three tiger numbers together - about 55 reserves, the 2022 estimate of 3,682 tigers and the 2023 release of the results - because they are easy to mix up.
- Keep the largest, smallest and highest-density tiger reserves apart: Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam, Bor and Kaziranga.
- Prepare the Ramsar facts as a separate list: 1971 the convention, 1981 Chilika the first site, about 85 sites, the Sundarbans Wetland the largest and Tamil Nadu with the most sites.
- For Assam, remember the Deepor Beel (2002) and the Sone Beel, and connect each tiger reserve of Assam with its establishment year - Kaziranga 2006, Manas 2008 and Orang as the second reserve.
Common exam traps
- Jim Corbett is the first tiger reserve, while Kaziranga is the tiger reserve with the highest density, not the oldest or the largest.
- Project Tiger was launched in 1973, and the tiger census of 2022 gave the figure of 3,682; do not attach the 2022 number to the launch year.
- Chilika Lake is the first Ramsar site of India, but the largest Ramsar site is the Sundarbans Wetland.
- Tamil Nadu has the most Ramsar sites of any state, even though the first site is in Odisha.
- The Deepor Beel is a Ramsar site of Assam, and the Sone Beel is the largest wetland of the Barak valley; the two are different places.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Project Tiger launched and which is the first tiger reserve of India?
Project Tiger was launched on 1 April 1973 and is run by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The first tiger reserve of India is the Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand. There are now about 55 tiger reserves in the country, and the tiger is protected as an umbrella species because conserving a large forest for the tiger also conserves the countless other plants and animals in it.
Which are the largest and smallest tiger reserves, and which state has the most tigers?
The largest tiger reserve of India is the Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserve in Andhra Pradesh and the smallest is the Bor Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. Madhya Pradesh has the highest number of tigers of any state, and Assam has the highest number in the North-East. Nagpur is popularly called the tiger capital of India. Kaziranga Tiger Reserve, established in 2006, is described as having the highest tiger density in the world.
What is the tiger population of India according to the latest census?
The national tiger census is called the All India Tiger Estimation. The most recent exercise was carried out in 2022 and the results were released in 2023, putting India's tiger population at 3,682. This success is attributed to Project Tiger and the network of tiger reserves. The main causes of the earlier decline of tigers were poaching, habitat loss and the decline of the prey base.
What is the Ramsar Convention and what are the Ramsar sites of India?
The Ramsar Convention is an international treaty signed at Ramsar in Iran in 1971 for the conservation and wise use of wetlands. A wetland listed under it is called a Ramsar site, and India has about 85 Ramsar sites. The first Ramsar site of India is Chilika Lake in Odisha, declared in 1981, and the largest is the Sundarbans Wetland. The largest freshwater lake of India is Wular Lake, and Tamil Nadu has the highest number of Ramsar sites.
Which Ramsar sites and wetlands are in Assam?
The Deepor Beel near Guwahati is the best-known Ramsar site of Assam and was declared in 2002. It is famous for its migratory birds, including storks and eagles. The Sone Beel in Karimganj is the largest wetland of the Barak valley, and along with the Deepor Beel it is among the Assam wetlands most known for migratory birds. Wetlands store flood water, recharge groundwater and support fisheries, and their main threats are encroachment, pollution and siltation.