Global Tiger Day is being celebrated across the world today. This day is observed every year to create awareness about tiger conservation and protection of natural habitat of tigers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will release the results of the fourth cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation in New Delhi. The Tiger Estimation exercise is believed to be the world’s largest wildlife survey effort in terms of coverage, intensity of sampling and quantum of camera trapping. India conducts the All India Tiger Estimation every four years. The Government and National Tiger Conservation Authority have also carried out an economic valuation of tigers in mitigating the adverse impact of climate change.

AIR correspondent reports that Project Tiger was launched in 1973 with the initiative of conserving India’s national animal.Tigers are one of the world’s most iconic species. Tigers are considered as an “umbrella species” as their conservation also conserves many other species in the same area. Despite conservation efforts since the 1970s, wild tiger populations showed a rapid decline. In 2010, during the St. Petersburg declaration, tiger range countries had resolved to double tiger numbers by 2022.

Due to concerted efforts under Project Tiger, at present India has the distinction of having the maximum number of tigers in the world. From 9 tiger reserves since its formative years, the Project Tiger coverage has increased to 50 at present. The 2014 country level tiger assessment had shown a 30 per cent increase of tigers. From 1706 in 2010, tiger population has increased to  2226 in 2014.