Nameri Tiger Reserve (Environment)
Nameri Tiger Reserve (Environment)
Why In News:
The tiger population at Assam's Nameri Tiger Reserve has quadrupled over the past three years, a rare conservation success story.
Source: The Hindu, Page 4, 4 July 2026 - 'Burning bright: tiger population quadruples at Assam's Nameri Tiger Reserve in 3 years'; The Indian Express, Explained Page, 4 July 2026 - 'Govt's plan to revive struggling tiger reserve'
About Nameri Tiger Reserve
Nameri is located in Assam, on the foothills of the Eastern Himalayas, bordering Pakke Tiger reserve (Arunachal Pradesh), along the Jia Bhoroli river.
It was originally notified as a national park before being designated a Tiger Reserve.
The reserve also hosts rich avifauna, including the white-winged wood duck, apart from tigers, elephants and clouded leopards.
Project Tiger and Tiger Reserves in India
Project Tiger was launched in 1973 to protect tigers from extinction, starting with 9 reserves; India now has over 58 tiger reserves.
Tiger reserves are managed under the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), a statutory body constituted under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, following the 2006 amendment.
Each tiger reserve has a core (critical tiger habitat) and a buffer zone, with different levels of permissible human activity.
The All India Tiger Estimation, conducted once every four years, tracks tiger population trends; the last cycle placed India's tiger population above 3,600, home to over 70% of the world's wild tiger population.
Why Some Reserves Succeed and Others Struggle
Reserves with strong core-buffer management, minimal human-wildlife conflict, adequate prey base and low encroachment, such as Nameri, tend to show consistent population growth.
Struggling reserves often face poaching pressure, depleted prey base, unresolved rights of forest-dwelling communities under the Forest Rights Act, 2006, and fragmented corridors that isolate populations genetically.
Core Zone (Critical Wildlife Habitat)
The Core Zone, also known as the Critical Wildlife Habitat (CWH), is a strictly protected area kept free from biotic disturbances and forestry operations.
Activities such as grazing, collection of minor forest produce, and other human interventions are prohibited to ensure effective wildlife conservation.
These areas are designated to protect wildlife while safeguarding the rights of Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006.
The State Government initiates the proposal in consultation with an Expert Committee and submits it to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
The Central Government has the authority to notify Critical Wildlife Habitats under the Act.
Buffer Zone
The Buffer Zone surrounds the Core Zone/Critical Tiger Habitat and serves as a supplementary habitat for dispersing wildlife, particularly tigers.
It promotes coexistence between wildlife conservation and sustainable human activities.
The boundaries of the buffer zone are determined using scientific and objective criteria, in consultation with the Gram Sabha and an Expert Committee.