NewzVille Desk
Under the chairmanship of the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, the 28th Meeting of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the 22nd Steering Committee Meeting of Project Elephant were held on 21 December 2025 at the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve, West Bengal.
The meetings brought together senior government officials, scientists, and field experts from tiger and elephant range states, along with representatives of key conservation institutions, to review the progress of Project Tiger and Project Elephant and to deliberate on future strategies for the conservation of tigers and elephants in India.
Yadav emphasized India’s globally recognised tiger conservation model and underscored the importance of science-based management, landscape-level planning, community participation, inter-state coordination, and international collaboration.
The Minister reviewed major ongoing activities of the NTCA, including progress under the sixth cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation, landscape-level training programmes across different regions, commencement of ground surveys from November 2025, and international cooperation under Project Cheetah, including visits by delegations from South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana.
The Steering Committee reviewed updates on the All-India Synchronized Elephant Estimation, a critical exercise for evidence-based planning and decision-making. Progress under the Model Elephant Conservation Plan for the Nilgiri Elephant Reserve and ongoing work on DNA profiling of captive elephants were also discussed, with emphasis on strengthening scientific management and welfare standards.
A comprehensive review of the status of human–elephant conflict across the country was undertaken. The Committee discussed findings from ongoing studies on conflict drivers and mitigation measures, along with the status and adequacy of compensation mechanisms adopted by elephant range states.
