When people talk about the great success stories of wildlife protection, Project Tiger is almost always on the list. Launched by the Government of India in 1973, it set out to pull the Bengal tiger back from the edge of extinction at a time when the big cat was vanishing from forest after forest. Half a century later, India shelters the largest population of wild tigers on Earth, and the programme is studied by conservationists in many other countries.
This explainer walks through how the programme began, how it works on the ground, who runs it, how tigers are counted, and what challenges still stand in the way. It is written for students, teachers, travellers and general readers who want a clear, dated and reliable picture of India’s national animal and the effort that protects it. Last updated: 29 September 2026.
Quick Facts
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Programme | Project Tiger, a centrally sponsored conservation programme |
| Launched | 1 April 1973, at Jim Corbett National Park |
| Initial reserves | Nine tiger reserves in the first phase |
| Tiger reserves today | More than 50 across India |
| Governing body | National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), statutory since 2006 |
| Parent law | Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2006 |
| Species | Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), India’s national animal |
| Population | Roughly 3,000 or more wild tigers as of the 2022 census, about 70% of the world’s wild tigers |
| Census cycle | All India Tiger Estimation, every four years |
Why India Needed Project Tiger
For centuries the tiger was a symbol of royalty, strength and wild India. It was also hunted relentlessly. Under the princely states and the colonial administration, tiger hunting was a prestigious sport, and bounties were once offered because the animal was seen as vermin that threatened villages and livestock. Estimates from the early twentieth century suggest that tens of thousands of tigers roamed the subcontinent. By the early 1970s the picture had changed dramatically.
The slide towards extinction
Several forces pushed the tiger down together:
- Hunting and trophy collection continued well into the twentieth century, including after independence.
- Loss of habitat as forests were cleared for farms, timber, dams, roads and settlements.
- Loss of prey such as deer and wild pigs, which the tiger depends on to survive.
- Poaching for skins and body parts that were traded illegally across borders.
The 1972 tiger count, conducted using pugmark tracking, produced a figure of only around 1,800 tigers in the whole country. Alarm bells rang in Delhi. The Indian Board for Wildlife had already begun rethinking priorities, and in the early 1970s the tiger replaced the lion as India’s national animal. The choice was deliberate: the tiger stood for the whole country’s wild heritage and was also the animal most urgently in need of protection.
A legal foundation
The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 gave the country a strong legal framework for the first time, banning hunting of scheduled species and allowing the creation of national parks and sanctuaries. Project Tiger, launched a year later, turned that law into a targeted, funded programme with a single flagship species.
The 1973 Launch and the First Nine Reserves
Project Tiger was formally launched on 1 April 1973 at Jim Corbett National Park, in what is now Uttarakhand, during the tenure of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Corbett was a natural choice. It was India’s oldest national park, established in 1936, and it carried the name of the hunter-turned-conservationist Jim Corbett. The programme began with nine tiger reserves spread across different habitats and states.
The original nine
- Corbett in Uttarakhand, then part of Uttar Pradesh
- Palamau in Jharkhand, then part of Bihar
- Sundarbans in West Bengal
- Ranthambore in Rajasthan
- Simlipal in Odisha
- Kanha in Madhya Pradesh
- Manas in Assam
- Melghat in Maharashtra
- Bandipur in Karnataka
These reserves were chosen to represent the variety of tiger country: Himalayan foothills, dry deciduous forests, mangroves, grasslands and hill forests. The idea was to protect tigers in a range of ecosystems rather than in one place alone. Early results were encouraging. With hunting curbed and disturbance reduced, numbers within the reserves began to recover through the 1970s and 1980s.
How Project Tiger Works: The Core-Buffer Model
The central idea behind the programme is simple but powerful: give the tiger a large, undisturbed home and manage the surrounding landscape carefully. Each tiger reserve is therefore organised in zones with different levels of protection.
Core or critical tiger habitat
The core area is legally notified as critical tiger habitat, and it is meant to be kept free of human activities that harm wildlife. Grazing, timber collection and permanent settlements are not permitted in this zone. It works as a safe breeding ground where tigers and their prey can live with minimal disturbance.
Buffer zone
The buffer surrounds the core and permits regulated, compatible human use. Local communities may continue to depend on the forest for certain needs, and tourism is managed here in a controlled way. The buffer acts as a cushion: it reduces pressure on the core and gives tigers, which range widely, extra space to move and disperse.
Why the model matters
A tiger needs a lot of room, and a single adult male may hold a territory of many square kilometres. By combining a protected core, a working buffer and, where possible, forest corridors linking reserves, the programme tries to protect entire tiger landscapes instead of small islands. The same model has since influenced other conservation programmes in India and abroad.
Village Relocation and Anti-Poaching Efforts
Two of the most talked about parts of Project Tiger are the voluntary relocation of villages from core areas and the security network that guards the forests.
Voluntary relocation
Many villages once stood inside areas that later became core habitat. To reduce conflict between people and wildlife, the government offers families the option of moving outside the core, with a compensation package and help in resettlement. Participation is meant to be voluntary and informed. Relocation has freed up habitat in several reserves, and it has also given families access to land, housing and services, though the process needs sensitive handling and good follow-up to succeed.
Protecting the forests
Anti-poaching work involves a combination of measures:
- Regular foot and vehicle patrols by forest staff and trained guards
- Anti-poaching camps and watchtowers at strategic points
- A Special Tiger Protection Force provided for under the law, drawing on local people where possible
- Camera traps, wireless communication and, increasingly, satellite and drone-based tools
- Intelligence sharing with police, customs and other agencies to disrupt wildlife trafficking
Alongside enforcement, reserves also invest in improving habitat for prey animals, building water sources and managing invasive plants, because a tiger cannot thrive without enough deer and other prey.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
For more than three decades Project Tiger was run mainly as a government programme. Then came a sharp warning. In 2004 and 2005 it became clear that tigers had disappeared from Sariska Tiger Reserve in Rajasthan, largely because of poaching. The shock led the government to set up a Tiger Task Force, and its recommendations reshaped the system.
A statutory authority
In 2006, an amendment to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 gave legal backing to the National Tiger Conservation Authority. The NTCA is chaired by the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, and it works with a technical and administrative structure of experts and officials. It now administers Project Tiger and oversees the country’s tiger reserves.
What the NTCA does
- Approves tiger conservation plans prepared by states for each reserve
- Sets standards for tourism, monitoring and management
- Provides guidance and financial support to state forest departments
- Oversees the All India Tiger Estimation and other monitoring work
- Advises on new tiger reserves and on projects that could affect tiger habitat
The same 2006 amendment also paved the way for a dedicated wildlife enforcement agency and for a Tiger Conservation Foundation for each reserve, so that support could flow to the field more reliably.
Counting Tigers: The All India Tiger Estimation
You cannot protect what you cannot measure. The All India Tiger Estimation, popularly called the tiger census, is a national exercise conducted every four years by the NTCA together with the Wildlife Institute of India and state forest departments.
From pugmarks to camera traps
Early counts relied on pugmarks, the footprints of tigers, which were traced and compared. The method was easy to apply, but it could be inaccurate. Modern estimates use a science-based approach. Field teams first survey signs such as scat and scrapes, then place thousands of camera traps in the forest. Every tiger has a unique stripe pattern, much like a fingerprint, so individual animals can be identified from photographs. Statistical models then estimate the total population from the animals photographed. The 2018 exercise was recognised as one of the largest wildlife camera-trap surveys ever undertaken.
M-STrIPES
Field data is managed through M-STrIPES, the Monitoring System for Tigers: Intensive Protection and Ecological Status. Launched by the NTCA around 2010, it uses a mobile app and geographic information system tools so that patrol routes, sightings and threats are recorded digitally and mapped. This makes patrolling more systematic and monitoring more transparent.
Census milestones
| Year | Approximate tiger estimate | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | About 1,800 | Pugmark-based count that prompted urgent action |
| 2006 | About 1,400 | First estimate after the 2006 reform, with a modern method |
| 2010 | About 1,700 | Recovery visible |
| 2014 | About 2,200 | Clear rise across landscapes |
| 2018 | About 3,000 | Numbers roughly doubled from 2006 |
| 2022 | About 3,200 (minimum), with an upper estimate above 3,600 | Released in 2023 as Project Tiger completed 50 years |
These figures are rounded and reflect the methods used in each cycle, so they should be read as trends rather than exact headcounts. According to the 2022 census, India holds around 70% of the world’s wild tigers.
Growth of the Tiger Reserve Network and Famous Reserves
From nine reserves in 1973, the network has expanded steadily. Today there are more than 50 tiger reserves spread across many states, covering roughly 2% of the country’s land area. New reserves have been added as forests, grasslands and river landscapes were recognised as important tiger habitat, and as surveys showed tigers using areas beyond the older protected zones.
Why the expansion matters
- It protects more habitat types, from Himalayan foothills to the Western Ghats and the Sundarbans delta.
- It spreads risk: if one population suffers, others remain.
- It creates opportunities to link reserves through corridors so that tigers can move and breed across landscapes.
- It brings the rules of the core-buffer model and central support to more forests.
Some of the most productive tiger landscapes lie in central India, the Western Ghats and the Terai belt along the foothills of the Himalaya. Many tigers also live outside reserve boundaries in adjoining forest divisions, which is why managing the wider landscape is now as important as guarding the reserve itself.
Famous Tiger Reserves of India
Several reserves have become household names, thanks to their wildlife, scenery and tourism. The table below highlights some of the best known.
| Reserve | State | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Jim Corbett | Uttarakhand | India’s oldest national park and the site of the 1973 launch; Himalayan foothill forests and the Ramganga river |
| Ranthambore | Rajasthan | Tigers roaming among the ruins of a historic fort and old lakes; a favourite for photographers |
| Bandhavgarh | Madhya Pradesh | Very good tiger sightings and an ancient fort within the park |
| Kanha | Madhya Pradesh | Sal forests and meadows; often linked with the setting of Kipling’s Jungle Book stories |
| Sundarbans | West Bengal | Mangrove delta where tigers swim and hunt; a UNESCO World Heritage Site |
| Nagarhole | Karnataka | Dense forest and the Kabini river, part of the Nilgiri landscape |
| Bandipur | Karnataka | One of the original nine reserves; connected to Nagarhole and forests in Tamil Nadu and Kerala |
Other important names include Kaziranga in Assam, Tadoba-Andhari in Maharashtra, Periyar in Kerala, Pench, Satpura and Panna in Madhya Pradesh, and Dudhwa in Uttar Pradesh. Each offers a different flavour of tiger country and its own management story.
Global Tiger Day and the TX2 Goal
Tigers are found in only a limited number of countries, known as tiger range countries, and their fate is a shared global concern. In 2010, a Tiger Summit held in St Petersburg, Russia brought together the leaders of the countries where wild tigers survive. They adopted the ambitious TX2 goal: to double the number of wild tigers by 2022, the next Year of the Tiger in the Chinese calendar.
Global Tiger Day
The summit also declared 29 July as Global Tiger Day, or International Tiger Day. Every year, conservation groups, schools, forest departments and wildlife lovers use the occasion to spread awareness about tiger protection, celebrate progress and highlight problems.
India’s role
India took the goal seriously. By the time of the 2018 census, its tiger population had roughly doubled compared with the 2006 baseline, and India is widely regarded as having met its target well ahead of the 2022 deadline. In 2023, India also launched the International Big Cat Alliance to promote cooperation on the conservation of tigers and other big cats. India has also encouraged assessment standards for reserves such as Conservation Assured Tiger Standards, which help managers check whether their sites meet good practice.
Success Stories and Recoveries
The larger numbers tell only part of the story. Individual reserves show how targeted effort can bring tigers back.
Bringing tigers back to empty forests
- Sariska in Rajasthan lost its tigers to poaching by about 2005. Tigers were later translocated from Ranthambore, beginning around 2008, and the reserve has a breeding population again.
- Panna in Madhya Pradesh saw its tigers vanish by around 2009. A reintroduction programme with tigers from other reserves led to a remarkable revival that has been widely discussed as a model of recovery.
Wider benefits
Because the tiger sits at the top of the food chain, protecting it means protecting the whole forest. Tiger habitats safeguard rivers and watersheds, store carbon, and shelter countless other species, from deer and leopards to birds and insects. Many local communities also benefit through nature tourism, jobs as guides and drivers, and community-based enterprises around reserves.
Science and technology have played a part as well. Camera traps, genetic studies of tiger scat and hair, and radio collaring have helped researchers understand movements, breeding and dispersal, allowing managers to make more informed decisions about corridors and translocations.
Challenges Facing India’s Tigers
Success has brought a new set of problems. A larger tiger population means more young animals looking for territory, and many reserves are close to being full.
Key challenges
- Habitat loss and fragmentation: Roads, railways, canals, mining and power lines cut through forests and isolate populations.
- Human-wildlife conflict: When tigers move out of reserves, encounters with livestock and people rise, leading to losses, fear and sometimes retaliation.
- Poaching and trafficking: The demand for tiger parts has not vanished, and organised networks still operate across borders.
- Corridor protection: Linking reserves is essential for genetic health, yet corridors often pass through farms, villages and infrastructure projects.
- Climate change: In the Sundarbans, rising seas and stronger storms threaten mangrove habitat.
- Tourism pressure: Poorly managed tourism can disturb animals and damage habitat.
Working towards solutions
Responses include early-warning systems and rapid response teams for conflict, compensation for livestock losses, safer passages such as underpasses and overpasses along highways, and community involvement in monitoring and eco-tourism. Balancing development with conservation remains the central test for the next phase of Project Tiger.
Related Bodies and Laws
Project Tiger does not work alone. It sits within a wider system of institutions and laws that protect India’s wildlife.
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: The main law for protecting species and habitats, including provisions for tiger reserves and stringent penalties for hunting and trade.
- Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB): A statutory enforcement body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change that helps combat organised wildlife crime and coordinates with police, customs and international agencies.
- Wildlife Institute of India (WII): A research and training institute in Dehradun that provides scientific support, including for tiger estimation.
- State forest departments: The front-line managers who run reserves, patrol forests and work with local communities.
- CITES: The international convention that regulates trade in endangered species, under which tigers receive the highest level of protection.
Together, these institutions link field protection, scientific monitoring, law enforcement and international cooperation.
Conclusion
Project Tiger began in 1973 as a bold response to a crisis. Its combination of protected core areas, managed buffers, village relocation, strong law and better science helped the tiger recover from a low of around 1,800 animals to a population that crossed 3,000 by the 2022 census. Yet the story is far from finished. The next chapters will be written in corridors, villages and highways as much as in reserves, and will depend on whether India can share space between growing communities and a growing number of tigers. For a country whose national animal is also one of its most powerful cultural symbols, the stakes are both ecological and emotional.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Project Tiger launched and where?
Project Tiger was launched on 1 April 1973 at Jim Corbett National Park, which lies in present-day Uttarakhand. It began with nine tiger reserves and was introduced during Indira Gandhi’s tenure as Prime Minister.
Which agency runs Project Tiger today?
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) administers Project Tiger. It was given statutory status through the 2006 amendment to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and it works with state forest departments and the Wildlife Institute of India.
How many tigers does India have?
According to the 2022 census, India has roughly 3,000 or more wild tigers, with a minimum estimate of about 3,200 and a higher upper-bound estimate. This is around 70% of the world’s wild tigers. Exact numbers change with each four-yearly census.
How are tigers counted in India?
The All India Tiger Estimation is carried out every four years. It combines field surveys of tiger signs with thousands of camera traps that photograph individual tigers by their stripe patterns, and statistical models then estimate the population. Field monitoring is supported by the M-STrIPES system.
When is Global Tiger Day celebrated?
Global Tiger Day is observed every year on 29 July. It was established at the 2010 St Petersburg Tiger Summit, where tiger range countries, including India, set the TX2 goal of doubling wild tiger numbers by 2022.
Why did India choose the tiger as its national animal?
In the early 1970s the tiger replaced the lion as India’s national animal. It was chosen for its strength, grace and wide presence in Indian forests, and because it urgently needed protection at a time of falling numbers.
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