PANJIM: Goa is set to embark on a two-month-long survey to count all the tigers in the State’s wilds from March end. Ground based survey, scientific study through the GIS (geographic information system) map, and camera trap methodology will be adopted for undertaking the census in two phases.
As part of All India Tiger Assessment, the State Forest Department is gearing up to carry out the Tiger Census 2022 in March-April. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change aims to release the All-India Tiger Census report, conducted once in every four years, on July 29, 2022, which is Tiger Day.
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Speaking to HERALD, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Santosh Kumar said that the tiger estimation exercise, to be carried out by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and respective State Forest Departments will be conducted from March end and will go on till April end or first week of May.
Kumar said that it’s going to be a two month long extensive exercise to be undertaken in two phases. In the first phase, evidence related to the presence of carnivorous and herbivorous wild animals in all forest areas, apart from collecting signs of tiger presence like scat and pugmarks.
In the second phase, the wild animal will be captured using camera trap placed in large number across several forest areas.
Kumar said that scientific study through the GIS maps and transect methods would be adopted for counting.
NTCA-Southern Zone has already conducted a three-day training programme that was attended by forest officials from Goa. The Forest Department personnel underwent training at Theppakadu Training Centre in Madumalai Tiger Reserve in the Nilgiris.
“The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) will conduct second round of training for State forest officials in the coming ten days,” Kumar said.
The national status assessment exercise provides details such as the size of tiger population, extent, covariates of prey, co-predators, habitat and human impact, the officials said.
All India Tiger Estimation 2018 report had shown no tiger presence in the State during the census held in 2006 and 2010.
