India may have fared better than 12 other tiger-bearing countries, but the coming decade is likely to throw up many challenges with the potential of destabilising the population of one of the most charismatic large cats ever to have walked on the planet. These challenges will stem from the ever-increasing human population and the resulting footprint on already stressed natural ecosystems. The need for more space for human habitation, linear infrastructure such as roads and railways, dams, river-linking projects, and construction material for housing, coupled with frequent and alternating flood and drought cycles due to the influence of the climate crisis, increased intensity of human-wildlife conflict and depletion of wild prey pose serious threats to India's natural ecosystems.

Here are some critical steps that every state will have to take: Prevent non-forest activity inside Protected Areas (PAs) and eco-sensitive zones, as India’s PAs constitute merely 5% of its total land area and depleting them will serve a death knell to innumerable species; Disallow linear infrastructure such as roads, railways, canals or powerlines to impinge upon tiger reserves, PAs and existing wildlife corridors; Build scientifically whetted mitigation structures so that wildlife can move freely in those instances where linear infrastructure cannot avoid cutting a corridor; Control man-made forest fires with a vengeance by training local communities to extract minor forest produce such as tendu leaves, mahua flowers, etc without resorting to burning the undergrowth (fire is by far the most potent agent for forest degradation and biodiversity loss in India); Revamp the tourism model such that the income generated can feed millions of marginalised people living in and around India’s PAs; Build capacity of local communities living in multiple-use areas to reduce the impact of human-wildlife conflict (higher incomes from tourism will definitely reduce the antagonism between people and the forest department and rapid assessment of damage and swift compensation for crop and livestock depredation by wild animals will certainly help); Improve the conviction rate in case of wildlife offences — at the moment, it is as low as 5% ; and finally, make the wildlife budget, both at the Centre and state-level commensurate with the ecosystem services provided by India's biodiversity-rich habitat.

As for the underperforming states, here's what they will have to do: Increase the number of frontline staff positions in tiger reserves; Fill up staff vacancies in tiger reserves — some states have reported between 50-65% vacancies in the frontline forest staff positions; Streamline the salary process of the daily wagers like forest watchers, as long delays in payment are extremely injurious to the morale of these unsung heroes; Wherever possible, offer voluntary resettlement programmes to villages situated inside the core of tiger reserves, (some of the tiger reserves in Odisha, Telangana, Jharkhand, and West Bengal have over 50 villages inside their core with a huge population of livestock, resulting in a massive drop in wild prey population and unless some inviolate spaces are created within tiger reserves, wild prey numbers will not bounce back); Delineate tiger corridors so that mining and linear infrastructure projects do not fragments them forever; Enhance livelihood opportunities for villages that share their backyard with wildlife — this could include skill enhancement programmes for farmers, forward and backward linkages for artisans and hospitality training to establish homestays; and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) should create a special task force for each of these nine states in collaboration with the state government to set timelines and create funding mechanisms to make all of the above possible.

Currently, wildlife tourism doesn’t constitute even 1% of the country’s GDP. Being a biodiversity-rich nation and the only Asian country to boast of good densities of large mammals as well as a plethora of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and marine and plant species, India has the potential to generate a steady livelihood for a huge population of people who are currently paying the opportunity cost of conservation. Unless these people benefit directly from the increase in wildlife populations, we may rapidly lose the social acceptance for large mammals such as elephants, tigers, gaur, bears, leopards, Asiatic lions, and rhinos. The country should target to increase wildlife tourism revenue by at least a magnitude (10 times its current volume) in the coming decade. Of course, the tourism trajectory should not be infrastructure-heavy but should keep in mind local culture, the welfare of wildlife and pollution norms.

Ancient Indians called the tiger the “striped water god”. Since time immemorial the word tiger conjures up the vision of a forest replete with water and wild prey. India has undoubtedly shown the world the true meaning of wildlife conservation by pulling the tiger out from the brink, however, the threat of habitat loss due to anthropogenic reasons coupled with the persistent danger from the illegal trade in tiger body parts in China, Vietnam and some other Asian countries continue to put tremendous pressure on its future.

If this magnificent animal has to survive into the next century, India will have to play an even greater role not only in protecting tiger habitats within its administrative limits, but also in guiding other tiger-bearing nations in rebuilding, restocking or rewilding their habitats.

Anish Andheria is the president and CEO of Wildlife Conservation Trust, a Mumbai-based not-for-profit organisation

The views expressed are personal