Tiger Reserves & Project Tiger — Set 17

Correct Answer: B. Monitor tiger movements, patrolling data, and habitat parameters in real time

NTCA's Project Tiger Dashboard integrates data from M-STrIPES, camera traps, and field reports to provide real-time monitoring of patrolling coverage, wildlife sightings, and habitat changes. It enables reserve managers to identify gaps in protection and respond quickly to threats. Digital tools have significantly improved the effectiveness of tiger conservation management.

Correct Answer: C. Mysuru

Prime Minister Narendra Modi released the results of the 2022 All India Tiger Estimation showing 3,167 tigers at an event in Mysuru, Karnataka, in April 2023. The event marked the 50th anniversary (golden jubilee) of Project Tiger. Karnataka, with 563 tigers, was the second highest state.

Correct Answer: D. Jim Corbett

Jim Corbett Tiger Reserve spans parts of Pauri Garhwal and Nainital districts of Uttarakhand. It is the oldest tiger reserve in India. The reserve covers the Patli Dun valley along the Ramganga River and its tributaries.

Correct Answer: B. Natal dispersal

Natal dispersal refers to the movement of young tigers (especially young males) away from their birth area to establish their own territories. This is a natural process that helps spread tigers across landscapes. Long-distance dispersal can only occur where forest corridors exist between tiger habitats.

Correct Answer: C. Chhattisgarh

Guru Ghasidas-Tamor Pingla Tiger Reserve, declared in 2021, is located in Sarguja district of Chhattisgarh. It includes the Guru Ghasidas National Park and Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary. It is contiguous with Sanjay-Dubri Tiger Reserve across the Chhattisgarh-Madhya Pradesh border.

Correct Answer: B. A population that loses more individuals than it gains and depends on immigration

A sink population is a wildlife population that loses more individuals through mortality or emigration than it gains through birth and immigration, and thus depends on immigration from source populations to persist. Small, isolated tiger reserves can become population sinks. Maintaining corridors to source populations is critical for sink population survival.

Correct Answer: B. Taqpep

Research has shown that Simlipal's melanistic tigers carry a homozygous mutation in the Taqpep gene, which controls the appearance of tabby-pattern stripes in cats. This is the same gene responsible for 'ticked' tabby patterns in domestic cats. The unique mutation has become fixed in the small Simlipal tiger population due to inbreeding.

Correct Answer: B. Safari routes, vehicles, and tourist numbers within the buffer zone

Tiger reserves must prepare Tourism Zone Management Plans under NTCA guidelines to regulate safari routes, maximum number of vehicles per zone, tourist carrying capacity, and code of conduct. Tourism is permitted only in designated areas of the buffer zone. Unregulated tourism disturbs wildlife and degrades habitat.

Correct Answer: B. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing

Wildlife Institute of India uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and satellite remote sensing to map tiger habitats, model connectivity, and identify potential areas for tiger recovery. These tools help prioritize conservation investments and identify critical corridors that need protection. Landscape-level GIS models have guided the declaration of new tiger reserves.

Correct Answer: B. Chitwan

Chitwan National Park (Royal Chitwan) is Nepal's most important tiger reserve and the first national park in Nepal established in 1973. Tiger numbers in Chitwan have grown substantially. Nepal shares the Terai Arc Landscape with India and both countries' tigers are part of the same meta-population.