Assam’s conservation story is also significant because the population of tigers in its neighbourhood has shown a decline; Arunachal Pradesh for instance in 2006 registered 14 tigers but in 2010, it was nil.

Assam in 2006 recorded a population of 70 tigers but in 2010 its population has grown to 143. The estimates are part of the detailed report on the All India Tiger Estimation-2010 released here today by Union Minister of State for Environment and Forest Jayanthi Natarajan.

According to the report, in Mizoram the population of the big cat has declined by one from six to five.

In the category of North-East Hills and Brahmaputra Plains, the tiger population has increased from 100 in 2006 to 148 in 2010.

Countrywide, there are 1571 to 1875 tigers in India today which constitutes about 60 to 65 per cent tiger population of the world. According to the report, there is increase in number of tigers in tiger reserves and protected areas. The census of 2010 covered the areas of Sundarbans, some areas of North-east, Jharkhand, which were not covered during last census.

The study reports a country wise increase of 20 per cent in tiger numbers in 2010 with an estimated number of 1706 (1571-1875). The 2006 estimation was 1411 (1165-1657) tigers, the report said.

Tiger-occupied forests in India were classified into six landscape complexes, including Shivalik Hills and the Gangetic Plain, Central India, Eastern Ghats, Western Ghats and the North-Eastern Hills and Brahmaputra Plains, besides Sundarbans.

According to WWF, despite the good news, the detailed report warns that tigers are still in danger due to an overall 12.6 percent loss of habitat, meaning more tigers are being squeezed into smaller areas, which could lead to a lack of dispersal and consequent loss of genetic exchange between populations, and an increase in human-tiger conflict.

Dr YV Jhala, lead author of the report said, “The loss of corridors does not bode well for tigers. Poaching can wipe out individual tiger populations, but these can be re-established by reintroductions as has been done in the Sariska and Panna reserves. However, once habitats are lost, it is almost impossible to claim them back for restoration.”

The report further states that tigers require good forests and prey, along with undisturbed breeding areas, for long-term survival. It is hoped that the recommendations in the report would lead to planning decisions that balance India’s long-term development needs with conservation concerns to secure a future for the country’s most iconic species.

“Unfortunately, while the results indicate an increase, they also provide evidence of even more pressure on the tiger and its habitat; we must keep up the momentum and redouble our efforts to ensure the tiger has a future in India and throughout its range in Asia and the Russian Far East,” leader of WWF’s Tigers Alive Initiative, Mike Baltzer said.