All India Tiger Estimation 2018 to be hi-tech

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : The All-India Tiger Estimation 2018, exercise promises not just to be hi-tech, but will also be far more accurate and precise than ever before.

In an interactive session with mediapersons here recently, officers from National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and scientists from Wildlife Institute of India explained how the current assessment uses Android phone-based application and desktop version of M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers-Intensive Protection and Ecological Status) for collecting, archiving and analyzing data.  The phone application automatically records the track log of surveys and line transects, as well as authenticates the recorded data on signs and animal sightings with geo-tagged photographs.

With increased camera trap density and the use of android technology, estimates arrived at are likely to be more robust – both in terms of accuracy and precision.  This becomes evident from the fact that compared to the exercise conducted in 2006, when 9, 700 cameras were put up, the 2018 Estimation will use nearly 15, 000 cameras.  It was also pointed out that it is not possible to count the photograph of every tiger in the camera trap.

The Tiger Estimation exercise is the world’s largest wildlife survey effort in terms of coverage, intensity of sampling and quantum of camera trapping.  An amount of Rs 10.22 crore will be invested by the Government in the fourth cycle of All India Tiger Estimation.  Financial assistance to the tune of Rs 7 crore will be provided to the States through the ongoing Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Project Tiger, according to arecent PIB release.

A robust Phase IV monitoring protocol is in place to assess tigers annually, which has been archived in a National Repository of Camera Trap photographs of tigers.  It helps Field Directors to have prior knowledge about resident tigers.  This process is complemented by the quadrennial All India Tiger Estimation.

India conducts the All India Tiger Estimation every four years.  Three cycles of the estimation have already been completed in 2006, 2010 and 2014.   These estimates showed estimates of 1,411, 1,706 and 2,226 tigers respectively.  The methodology has remained the same in the three cycles in terms of concept, but latest scientific developments in the field of animal abundance estimation have been incorporated and the best available science to evaluate tiger status has been used.