The fourth phase of the Nationwide tiger census will begin in the third week of January and this would be the first census in Telangana after the formation of the state, according to state forest officials here on Monday.

The last similar census was carried out in 2013-14 in undivided Andhra Pradesh.

The census to be focussed mainly on Kawal Tiger Reserve is located at Jannaram Mandal of Mancherial District and Amarabad Tiger Reserves, the largest tiger reserve in the country.

The government of India declared the 2,015 sq km Kawal wildlife sanctuary as Tiger Reserve in 2012. The reserve is the oldest sanctuary in the northern Telangana region of the state. It is well known for its abundant flora and fauna.

While Amarabad tiger reserve, spread over 2,800 sq kms in the districts of Mahbubnagar and Nalgonda, is the largest tiger reserve in the country. It was earlier part of Nagarjunasagar Srisailam Tiger Reserve (NSTR) but, post-bifurcation, the northern part of the reserve is vested with Telangana and renamed as Amrabad Tiger Reserve.

For the survey, we already installed over 600 cameras in both the reserves to track the movement of the wild cat , the officials said.

The State and Central governments have allotted Rs 5 crore to Rs 8 crore under centrally sponsored schemes for tiger conservation in the State, the officials said and added that 23 base camps were set up in Amarabad, which are manned by local tribes who monitor the range continuously and give required inputs to the department.

The department was also taking necessary measures to improve the prey base as well.

The counting also includes carnivores and mega-herbivores (such as elephants), the officials said.

The tiger census is taken up in the country every four years and is coordinated by the National Tiger Conservation Agency (NTCA). The Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun, provides technical guidance, the officials added.