NE WILDLIFE BUREAU
COIMBATORE, JULY 9
With India’s tiger conservation programme increasingly recognised as a global success story, the 29th meeting of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has laid out an ambitious roadmap to secure the future of the country’s national animal through stronger scientific management, enhanced habitat protection, improved governance and greater collaboration among stakeholders.
- Bhupender Yadav leads 29th National Tiger Conservation Authority meeting to reinforce protection of India’s iconic big cats and their habitats
- Roadmap for wildlife rescue and STRIDES 2026 assessment unveiled to strengthen evidence-based conservation across tiger landscapes
- National roadmap focuses on scientific management, adaptive governance, habitat security and improved conservation outcomes
- Tiger Conclave and STRIPES symposium proposed to mobilise resources, foster innovation and promote collaborative conservation
- Government reiterates commitment to safeguarding biodiversity through technology, research, institutional reforms and landscape-level conservation
The high-level meeting, held at the Central Academy for State Forest Service (CASFOS), Coimbatore, was chaired by Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Chairperson of the NTCA, bringing together Members of Parliament Rajiv Pratap Rudy and Harish Chandra Meena, senior officials of the Ministry, Chief Wildlife Wardens of tiger-range States and Field Directors of Tiger Reserves.
Deliberations centred on strengthening protection measures, improving management practices and enhancing conservation outcomes across India’s tiger landscapes, while reviewing progress made on decisions adopted during the previous meeting.
The Authority examined key policy, institutional and management issues relating to tiger conservation and considered a series of proposals aimed at further strengthening the long-term protection of tigers and their habitats.
A major highlight of the meeting was the release of two landmark publications by Bhupender Yadav that are expected to strengthen India’s conservation framework.
The first publication, “Roadmap to Rescue: Strategic Roadmap for Establishment of Temporary/Transit Facilities for Rescue-Rehab-Release of Wild Animals in Tiger Landscapes,” provides a comprehensive scientific framework for wildlife rescue, rehabilitation and safe release across tiger habitats. The roadmap is expected to significantly enhance preparedness for emerging conservation challenges and mitigate increasing human-wildlife interactions.
The second publication, “STRIDES 2026: Status of Tiger Reserves – Infrastructure, Development, Ecology & Social Parameters,” presents a comprehensive assessment of conservation interventions across India’s Tiger Reserves. The report is designed to support evidence-based planning, adaptive management and informed policy decisions to further strengthen tiger conservation nationwide.
The Authority also approved the Annual Report of the National Tiger Conservation Authority for 2024–25 and reviewed the Action Taken Report on decisions taken during the 28th meeting.
Among the key agenda items was the proposal to undertake the sixth cycle of the Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) of Tiger Reserves, a nationally significant exercise aimed at evaluating management performance, identifying best practices and strengthening adaptive conservation strategies across protected landscapes.
Recognising the growing need for sustained financial support, the Authority deliberated on organising a Tiger Conclave as a national platform to mobilise resources for Tiger Conservation Foundations by fostering partnerships with corporate organisations, philanthropic institutions and other stakeholders.
The meeting also considered organising STRIPES (Symposium on Tiger Research, Innovation, Policy, Ecology & Sustainability) as a dedicated national forum for researchers, Tiger Reserve managers and conservation practitioners to exchange scientific knowledge, share innovative management practices and replicate successful conservation models across India’s protected areas.
Members were also briefed on recent initiatives undertaken by the NTCA to strengthen conservation governance, scientific monitoring and long-term ecological security across the country’s tiger habitats.
The deliberations reaffirmed the Government of India’s commitment to protecting one of the world’s largest tiger populations through science-driven management, collaborative governance and landscape-level conservation, while advancing the broader goals of biodiversity conservation and ecological resilience.
Caption
Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change and Chairperson of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), releases two landmark publications—Roadmap to Rescue and STRIDES 2026—during the 29th NTCA meeting in Coimbatore, reinforcing India’s science-based roadmap for strengthening tiger conservation and protecting biodiversity.
