By U Sudhakar Reddy The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has decided to conduct the 2010 tiger census itself in the wake of allegations that states are fudging the tiger figures.
NTCA will collect only raw data from the state forest departments and compile its own figures using various techniques.
The last all-India tiger census was carried out in 2006 and now it will be conducted again after four years in January 2010.
An official of the AP state forest department's wildlife wing said that officials from all the southern states will be trained at Bandipur from November 10 to 12.
The training programme will basically be about the various methods used to collect data for the census. Data is collected by studying pug marks, taking digital photographs, examining droppings, herbivore kills, vegetation, terrain, cattle disturbance, human disturbance etc.
"It is a complicated process. Mapping by camera traps will be of immense use. 30 to 40 cameras will be set up and animal movements over a period of three months will be analysed.This exercise is being done as several states inflated the figures of tiger population," said the official.
It will take at least three to six months to process the data and furnish an authoritative figure for the fast dwindling tiger population in the country.
NTCA will collect only raw data from the state forest departments and compile its own figures using various techniques.
The last all-India tiger census was carried out in 2006 and now it will be conducted again after four years in January 2010.
An official of the AP state forest department's wildlife wing said that officials from all the southern states will be trained at Bandipur from November 10 to 12.
The training programme will basically be about the various methods used to collect data for the census. Data is collected by studying pug marks, taking digital photographs, examining droppings, herbivore kills, vegetation, terrain, cattle disturbance, human disturbance etc.
"It is a complicated process. Mapping by camera traps will be of immense use. 30 to 40 cameras will be set up and animal movements over a period of three months will be analysed.This exercise is being done as several states inflated the figures of tiger population," said the official.
It will take at least three to six months to process the data and furnish an authoritative figure for the fast dwindling tiger population in the country.
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