Nameri Tiger Reserve

Source: Telegraph

Context

The Nameri Tiger Reserve (NTR) in north-central Assam’s Sonitpur district has recorded a four-fold increase in tiger population — from just 3 tigers in 2022 to 12 tigers by the end of 2025. This estimation by the Assam State Forest Department has been validated by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII). Assam’s Forest and Environment Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah made the announcement on Friday, 3 July 2026, attributing the “extraordinary results” to conservation efforts under Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. In a parallel achievement, tigers have returned to the Sonai-Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary — Nameri’s satellite core — where the species had been locally extinct since the early 2000s. Nameri is one of four tiger reserves in Assam and shares a boundary with the 1,276.95 sq km Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh.

What is the Nameri Tiger Reserve?

• Notified as Tiger Reserve: 1 March 2000 (Assam’s 2nd Tiger Reserve after Manas).
• History: Declared Wildlife Sanctuary in 1985; upgraded to National Park in 1998; declared Tiger Reserve in 1999-2000.
• Core area: Nameri National Park — 200 sq km.
• Interstate boundary: Shares northern boundary with Pakke Tiger Reserve, Arunachal Pradesh.
• Nearest town: Tezpur (35 km), nearest airport: Tezpur (Salonibari); nearest railway station: Balipara (15 km).
• Rivers: Jia Bhoreli (Kameng) — main lifeline, a tributary of the Brahmaputra; and Bor-Dikorai.
• Landscape: Tropical evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous forests + riverine grasslands + cane brakes.
• Elephant reserve status: Part of Sonitpur Elephant Reserve (Kameng Elephant Reserve system).
• Signature bird: White-winged wood duck (endangered) — one of India’s last strongholds.
• Ecotourism USP: Jia Bhoreli river rafting + mahseer angling + birdwatching.

What are Assam’s four tiger reserves?

• Kaziranga Tiger Reserve — Golaghat/Nagaon districts; UNESCO World Heritage Site; famed for rhinos + high tiger density.
• Manas Tiger Reserve — Baksa/Chirang/Barpeta districts, on the Bhutan border; UNESCO World Heritage Site; Biosphere Reserve; Project Tiger Reserve since 1973 (among the original 9); notable for pygmy hog, hispid hare, golden langur.
• Nameri Tiger Reserve — Sonitpur district; declared 2000; shares boundary with Pakke.
• Orang Tiger Reserve — Darrang/Sonitpur districts; declared 2016; smallest tiger reserve in India by core (~79 sq km core).

What is the Wildlife Institute of India (WII)?

• Full form: Wildlife Institute of India.
• Established: 1982.
• Where: Chandrabani, Dehradun (Uttarakhand).
• Under which ministry: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• Role: Premier wildlife research and training institute; validates tiger estimation data; conducts the quadrennial All India Tiger Estimation (AITE) jointly with NTCA and State Forest Departments.

What is the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)?

• Established: 2005.
• Statutory backing: Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (as amended in 2006).
• Under which ministry: MoEFCC.
• Chair: Union Minister of Environment, Forest & Climate Change.
• Vice-Chair: MoS, MoEFCC.
• Role: Statutory body overseeing Project Tiger; monitors tiger reserves; conducts AITE with WII; approves state tiger conservation plans.
• Member Secretary (2026): Dr. G. S. Bhardwaj.

What is Project Tiger?

• Launched: 1 April 1973, by then PM Indira Gandhi at Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand.
• Initial reserves: 9 tiger reserves (Corbett, Manas, Ranthambore, Palamau, Kanha, Simlipal, Bandipur, Melghat, Sundarbans).
• 50th anniversary: April 2023 — PM Narendra Modi released “Amrit Kaal Ka Vision for Tiger Conservation” and “Status of Tigers 2022”.
• Objective: Conserve Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) and its ecosystems.

What is the conservation status of the Bengal Tiger?

• Scientific name: Panthera tigris tigris.
• National animal of India (declared 1973, replacing the lion).
• IUCN Red List: Endangered (species-level).
• CITES: Appendix I.
• Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I — highest protection.
• Global population estimate: ~5,500 wild tigers (India accounts for ~70%).

Practice MCQs

Q1. With reference to the Nameri Tiger Reserve, consider the following statements:

1. It is located in the Sonitpur district of Assam.
2. Its total area is approximately 344 sq km, with 200 sq km as core.
3. It shares its northern boundary with the Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh.
4. The Sonai-Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary serves as its satellite core.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All four (e) None

(All four statements are correct.)

Q2. With reference to the recent tiger population update at Nameri Tiger Reserve, consider the following statements:

1. The tiger population at Nameri increased from 3 in 2022 to 12 by the end of 2025.
2. The estimation was validated by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
3. Tigers have returned to the Sonai-Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary, which is Nameri’s satellite core.
4. The Sonai-Rupai sanctuary had never previously recorded a tiger population.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All four (e) None

(Statement 4 is wrong; tigers were present in Sonai-Rupai earlier but became locally extinct in the early 2000s — hence the current sighting is described as a “return” after more than two decades.)

Q3. With reference to Assam’s tiger reserves, consider the following statements:

1. Assam has four tiger reserves — Kaziranga, Manas, Nameri, and Orang.
2. Kaziranga and Manas are both UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
3. Kaziranga is famous for the Great One-horned Rhinoceros and has one of India’s highest tiger densities.
4. Nameri Tiger Reserve was the first tiger reserve to be notified in Assam.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All four (e) None

(Statement 4 is wrong; Manas was Assam’s first tiger reserve (declared under Project Tiger in 1973, among the original 9); Nameri became Assam’s second tiger reserve in 2000.)

Q4. With reference to the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE) 2022, consider the following statements:

1. India recorded an average of 3,682 tigers, with an upper limit of 3,925.
2. India accounts for approximately 70–75% of the global wild tiger population.
3. Madhya Pradesh recorded the highest tiger population at 785, followed by Karnataka, Uttarakhand, and Maharashtra.
4. AITE is conducted every year by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All four (e) None

(Statement 4 is wrong; AITE is conducted every 4 years (quadrennial) — NOT every year — jointly by the NTCA and WII under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) — NOT the Ministry of Home Affairs.)

Q5. With reference to Project Tiger and NTCA, consider the following statements:

1. Project Tiger was launched on 1 April 1973 by PM Indira Gandhi at Jim Corbett National Park.
2. The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a statutory body established in 2005 under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 (as amended in 2006).
3. India currently has 58 notified tiger reserves, with Madhav Tiger Reserve of Madhya Pradesh being the 58th (March 2025).
4. The Bengal Tiger is listed as “Least Concern” on the IUCN Red List.

How many of the above statements are correct?

(a) Only one (b) Only two (c) Only three (d) All four (e) None

(Statement 4 is wrong; the Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris) is listed as “ENDANGERED” on the IUCN Red List — NOT “Least Concern”. The species is also listed under CITES Appendix I and Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.)

Answer Key

1. (d) — All four correct.
2. (c) — Statement 4 wrong: Tigers were earlier present at Sonai-Rupai but locally extinct since early 2000s.
3. (c) — Statement 4 wrong: Manas was Assam’s first TR, not Nameri.
4. (c) — Statement 4 wrong: AITE is quadrennial, done by NTCA + WII under MoEFCC (not MHA).
5. (c) — Statement 4 wrong: Bengal Tiger is Endangered (IUCN), not Least Concern.

Exam Relevance

• UPSC Prelims & Mains: Very High — GS-III (Environment, Biodiversity, Conservation); Prelims (species/reserves/institutions); Essay on wildlife.
• NABARD Grade A: Very High — ESI + ARD papers (biodiversity, protected areas, forest economy); Phase II descriptive on conservation.
• State PCS (Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, MP, Karnataka): Very High — State-specific wildlife/biodiversity.