Dinerstein, E., C. Loucks, A. Heydlauff, E. Wikramanayake, G. Bryja, J. Forrest, J. Ginsberg, S. Klenzendorf, P. Leimgruber, T. O’Brien, E. Sanderson, J. Seidensticker and M. Songer. 2006. Setting Priorities for the Conservation and Recovery of Wild Tigers: 2005–2015. A User's Guide. WWF, WCS, Smithsonian, and NFWF-STF, Washington, D.C. – New York.

In 1995, the World Wildlife Fund and Wildlife Conservation Society prepared a framework to guide and prioritize in situ tiger conservation efforts across Asia. Commissioned by the Save the Tiger Fund, the study rapidly became a roadmap to guide tiger conservation, and was widely used by researchers and conservation biologists. Nine years later, WWF, WCS and Save The tiger Fund are in the process of updating and revising the TCU map and underlying database to reflect changes in available habitat for tigers, available information on threats and prey abundance, and progress in conservation efforts to date in the TCUs.  

Besides a technical report that is transparent in our methodologies, there is a smaller, 40 page users guide that is user-friendly, and will made accessible to tiger range states to help guide tiger conservation efforts and priorities. Over all, the outcomes of this project will present a more realistic and accurate picture of tiger conservation and for setting better and more effective conservation priorities to ensure the survival of the tiger.

© 2006 WCS, WWF, Smithsonian, STF

Sanderson, E., J. Forrest, C. Loucks, J. Ginsberg, E. Dinerstein, J. Seidensticker, P. Leimgruber, M. Songer, A. Heydlauff, T. O’Brien, G. Bryja, S. Klenzendorf and E. Wikramanayake. 2006. Setting Priorities for the Conservation and Recovery of Wild Tigers: 2005-2015. The Technical Assessment. WCS, WWF, Smithsonian, and NFWF-STF, New York – Washington, D.C.

This document, based on the concept of Tiger Conservation Landscapes (TCL 2.0), improves on the original analysis by: 1) compiling more accurate satellite imagery to improve mapping of potential tiger habitat; 2) building a new spatial database of tiger status and distribution; 3) incorporating new knowledge gained about tiger biology to create a standard for measuring the quality of tiger landscapes; 4) employing a systematic measure of human influence on tiger habitat (the "human footprint"); 5) automating the process of landscape delineation to make updates more rapid, rigorous, and transparent; 6) analyzing the sensitivity of results to assumptions made about tiger dispersal and minimum area size to support breeding tigers; and 7) updating priorities that move tiger conservation forward emphasizing representation and resilience.

Dinerstein E., Wikramanayake E. D., Robinson J., Karanth U., Rabinowitz A., Olson D., Mathew T., Hedao P., Connor M., Hemley G. and Bolze D. 1997. A Framework for Identifying High Priority Areas and Actions for the Conservation of Tigers in the Wild. WWF and WCS, 72 pp.

The report has two parts. In Part I, the authors identify priority areas for long-term tiger conservation across the tiger's range; in Part II, we identify international trade control needs. The assessment is intended to bring to the attention of international donors, conservation biologists, and policy makers the areas in which their investments and efforts can yield the biggest dividends in conserving tigers and their habitats.

The approach has a hierarchical framework to ensure that the ecological and biological characteristics of tigers living in distinct habitat types throughout their extensive range are represented in a prioritized portfolio of conservation areas.

In the wake of the crisis faced by the three prominent protected areas in Rajasthan viz. Sariska, Ranthambhore and Keoladeo the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Rajasthan constituted a State Empowered Committee on Forest and Wildlife on 26 February, 2005. The disappearance of tigers in Sariska was shocking and the threat of tiger poaching in Ranthambhore was looming large. The SEC swung into action and implemented a series of measures in the affected PAs. An ‘Action Taken Report’ during the tenure of SEC is placed as Annexe ES-1. These measures saved the Ranthambhore Tigers from impending disaster.

Download the report files here or at http://www.wii.gov.in/tigerreport/toc.htm:

Full report (2584 kb); List of Annexes (9 kb); Annexe 1.1 (120 kb); Annexe 2.1. (314 kb); Annexe 2.2. (115 kb); Annexe 3.1. (543 kb); Annexe 3.2. (510 kb); Annexe 3.3. (285 kb); Annexe 3.4. (474 kb); Annexe 3.5. (2719 kb); Annexe 3.6. (1722 kb); Annexe 3.7. (3326 kb); Annexe 3.8. (373 kb);Annexe 8.1.a-g (48 kb); Annexe 8.2. (108 kb); Annexe 8.3. (106 kb); Annexe 9.1. (96 kb); Annexe AK-1 (116 kb); Annexe ES-1 (169 kb).

Holloway C. W., Leyhausen P. and Ranjitsingh, M. K. 1976. Conservation of the Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris L.) in India. A report to the chairman of the Project Tiger Steering Committee on a Mid-term study of Project Tiger. March/April 1976. IUCN, Morges, Switzerland. 64 pp.

This report reviews the progress of Project Tiger during its initial three years. It attempts to identify gaps or weaknesses in planing and organization and shortfalls in achievements and to make recommendations to strengthen existing conservation effort. It also examines the oveall concept of the Project and makes proposals for furture strategy in the long-term. By its very nature, much of the report is concerned with criticism of the Project's implementation, but the Project Tiger has already achieved a number of quite outstanding successes in furthering the Indian tiger's chances of survival. The analysis by Holloway et al. from 30 years ago is particularly interesting today in regard to the Tiger Task Force report.

Download the report files:

Holloway et al. 1(534K); Holloway et al. 2(832K); Holloway et al. 3 (913K); Holloway et al. 4 (473K), Holloway et al. 5 (646K), Holloway et al. 6 (598K); entire report (3864K)

 Tiger Task Force: Joining the Dots. Government of India. 217 pp.

 The Tiger Task Force was set up because of a crisis the knowledge that the nation had lost its tigers from the protected reserve of Sariska in Rajasthan. But the Tiger Task Force was also set up to look beyond this immediate provocation: there were lessons to be learnt from this tragedy, lessons the nation needed to learn so that the survival of the tiger could be guaranteed. Sariska, then, was not only a crisis but also became an opportunity. Clearly, the time had come to review the past and also to secure the future.

 You can download the report as a PDF from http://projecttiger.nic.in/TTF2005/index.html