Why in News?
Gujarat regained ‘Tiger State’ status in 2025 after NTCA confirmed tiger presence in Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary, marking its return to the National Tiger Census after 33 years.
Description:
Key Terms:
- Tiger State: A state officially recognised as having a resident tiger population and included in the National Tiger Census.
- Resident tiger: A tiger that has settled in a habitat with sustained presence, not a transient or dispersing individual.
- Pugmark analysis: Identification of large carnivores based on footprint morphology.
- Prey base augmentation: Measures to increase availability of herbivores essential for sustaining carnivores.
About Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary:
- Location: Dahod district, eastern Gujarat
- Forest type: Dry deciduous, teak-dominated
- Ecological significance: Corridor landscape between Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh
- Current status: Wildlife Sanctuary (proposal underway to declare Tiger Reserve)
- NTCA confirmed permanent presence → Gujarat included in National Tiger Census
- Gujarat becomes India’s only state with lion, tiger and leopard coexisting in the wild.
National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA):
| Aspect | Details |
| Status | Statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) |
| Established | 2006, under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 |
| Key Objectives | Provide statutory backing to Project Tiger (legal enforceability) Implement Project Tiger as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for in-situ conservation in Tiger Reserves |
| Chairperson | Minister in charge of MoEFCC |
| Vice-Chairperson | Minister of State, MoEFCC |
| Members | Three Members of Parliament Secretary, MoEFCC Other expert/official members |
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