National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a statutory body functioning under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. It was constituted under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, as amended in 2006, with the objective of strengthening tiger conservation in India. The powers and functions of the NTCA are assigned to it under the provisions of the said Act.
- The NTCA has been fulfilling its mandate within the ambit of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 by maintaining oversight through advisories and normative guidelines. These are formulated based on the appraisal of tiger status, ongoing conservation initiatives, and recommendations made by specially constituted Committees.
- The NTCA has been constituted under Section 38L(1) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. According to Section 38L(2) of the same Act, the composition of the authority includes the Minister in charge of the Ministry of Environment and Forests (as Chairperson), the Minister of State in the Ministry (as Vice-Chairperson), three Members of Parliament, the Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Forests, and other designated members.
- The powers of the NTCA are derived from Section 38O(1) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. The authority functions under the guidance of its Chairperson, Vice-Chairperson, and other members as outlined in the Act.
Estimation of Tiger Populations
The process of estimating the number of tigers in a given area is called a Tiger Census. This exercise helps provide an estimate of the tiger population, its density, and changes in tiger indices, which reflect the occupancy of tigers in a specific region. These censuses are conducted at regular intervals to monitor current population status and observe population trends over time.
- In addition to estimating tiger numbers, the census also helps gather valuable data on tiger population density and the status of associated prey species. One of the earliest and most commonly used methods for this purpose was the Pugmark Census Technique. In this method, imprints of a tiger’s pugmark were recorded and analyzed to identify individual tigers. However, this method is now mostly used as an index of tiger occurrence and relative abundance, rather than for precise identification.
- In recent years, modern techniques such as camera trapping and DNA fingerprinting have been adopted. In camera trapping, photographs of tigers are taken using motion-sensitive cameras. Individual tigers are then identified based on the unique stripe patterns on their bodies. In the latest method of DNA fingerprinting, tiger scats (droppings) are analyzed to extract DNA, allowing for individual identification of tigers.