New Delhi, Oct 8 (UNI) union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav today said under the visionary Tiger@2047 initiative, India is working towards securing all potential tiger landscapes by the time the country celebrates its centenary of independence in 2047.
Presiding over the awards ceremony of the Global Big Cats Photography Competition 2025 in the Capital, Yadav underscored the pivotal role played by community participation (Jan Bhagidari) in ensuring the success of wildlife conservation efforts across the country, said a statement here.
Initiatives such as the Himal Rakshaks in Ladakh, Cheetah Mitras in Madhya Pradesh, and Vanya Prani Mitras in Gujarat were cited as exemplary grassroots models of citizen-led conservation, he added. Highlighting the link between ecosystems and wildlife, the Minister said, “India’s thriving ecosystems are the foundation of its flourishing wildlife.”
He noted that in the past decade, India’s forest and tree cover has increased by 1,445 sq. km, bringing the total green cover to 25.17% of the country’s geographical area. The Protected Area Network has also expanded to 1,022 sites, now covering 5.43% of India's landmass. In a significant milestone for biodiversity, the Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve in Himachal Pradesh has been added to the UNESCO World Network of Biosphere Reserves, becoming India’s first high-altitude Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve and the 13th site from the country to join the global list.
The Minister further informed that 487 eco-sensitive zones currently serve as vital corridors for wildlife movement across India. Yadav also shared encouraging statistics on India’s big cat conservation efforts. Over the last decade, India has seen a 30% increase in its tiger population, with 58 Tiger Reserves now covering over 84,000 sq. km. Tiger Vision (Tiger@2047) was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2023, taking into account the challenge of in-situ wild tiger conservation vis-à-vis landscape level challenges such as transformations of landscape, forest resource dependency of local people and tiger-human interface.
Touching upon the conservation of Asiatic Lions, he said their population has grown by 32% since 2020, reaching 891 individuals, now spread across 35,000 sq. km in Gujarat. On other big cat species, the Minister highlighted efforts under Project Snow Leopard, which engages local Himalayan communities in protecting this elusive species. He also praised the progress of Project Cheetah, noting the historic moment when the first Cheetah cub born on Indian soil has successfully reached adulthood — a key milestone in reintroducing the species after decades of local extinction.
The award event was organised by the union Ministry of Environment, in collaboration with the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), Aarts Maestro, and the Uttar Pradesh Eco-Tourism Development Board. It served as a pre-summit engagement ahead of the upcoming Global Summit on Big Cat Conservation scheduled for 2026.
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