Syllabus:

GS-3: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment 

Context: The Environment Ministry has cleared the capture of eight tigers from Tadoba-Andhari and Pench reserves for their translocation to Maharashtra’s Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.

About the Translocation

• This is aimed at reviving the big cat’s population in the northern Western Ghats by translocating three male tigers and five female tigers.
• National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) cleared the translocation plan in October 2023.
• The Wildlife Division has permitted Maharashtra to capture tigers under conditions of ensuring veterinary care throughout capture and translocation, prevention of post-capture complications, and minimal trauma to the animals during operation.
• The translocated tigers will first be put in a temporary enclosure, known as a soft release, before being released into the wild.
• Translocation of tigers in India is primarily governed by the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, specifically Section 12, which allows for the capture and relocation of specific animals under certain conditions.
• It requires prior approval for the translocation of wild animals by the Central Government for Schedule I species and by the State Government for others.
• Reviving tigers in Sahyadri is vital for forest and watershed protection, and to link northern Western Ghats with tiger habitats in Goa and Karnataka.

Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR)

• STR is situated in the state of Maharashtra which takes its name from Western Ghat’s Sahyadri Range and it is the only tiger reserve in western Maharastra.
• STR was established in 2010, by combining the Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary and the Chandoli National Park. .
• It spans across Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, and Ratnagiri districts in western Maharashtra.
• It also contains the reservoirs “Shivsagar” of the Koyana River and “Vasant Sagar” of the Warana River.

National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)

• NTCA is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change constituted under enabling provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2006, for strengthening tiger conservation.
• NTCA strengthens tiger conservation through advisories, guidelines, and expert committee recommendations.
• The authority is chaired by the Union Environment Minister.
• The objectives of NTCA are:
   o Providing statutory authority to Project Tiger so that compliance of its directives becomes legal.
   o Fostering accountability of Centre and State in management of Tiger Reserves, by providing a basis for MoU with States within our federal structure.
   o Providing for an oversight by Parliament.
   o Addressing livelihood interests of local people in areas surrounding Tiger Reserves.

Sources:
Indian Express
Tadoba Park