Gist of Editorials: Missing the Count | GS – III


Relevance :  GS Paper  III


The tiger census report has showcased a significant achievement for India’s conservation efforts.

Change in population of tigers

  • Population has gone up by more than 700 since 2014.
  • India is home to nearly 3,000 tigers..

Questions over enumeration

  • An investigation shows that the survey over-reported the country’s tiger population by 16 per cent.
  • The tiger census did not follow well-established norms of estimation.
  • Earlier, the pug mark method was highly subjective and prone to duplication.
  • After 2006, a more rigorous three-phase method was adopted to count tigers including satellite surveys.
  • And, finally, camera-traps were set up in selected pockets to identify individual tigers.
  • The quality of the camera traps was a major issue in many tiger habitats.

Conclusion

Institutions responsible for enumeration must be guided by ecological imperative.


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