The tiger is a magnificent animal, a powerful apex predator with unique stripes and a solitary disposition. It represents the wildness and the health of the environment. There were reportedly thousands of tigers in India at the turn of the 20th century. As a result of poaching, growing human population, and habitat destruction as well as the loss of their usual prey, tigers now face enormous difficulty in the wild.
On Global Tiger Day, it is important to remember that we need to protect and save the tiger so that the environment as a whole can be preserved. The preservation of wildlife is important for maintaining the environment’s ability to support life. Therefore, conserving these ethereal creatures through the save tiger project also means saving the ecosystem, which is essential for human survival.
Role of Tigers in the Food Chain
Tigers are essential to the ecosystem’s health. They are the top predators in the ecosystem and are at the top of the food chain. The extinction of a top carnivore in an ecosystem can affect the relative abundance of herbivore species within a guild.
Tigers regulate natural prey populations because they are the top animal predators in their habitat and the biggest carnivore. The tigers in the wild depend on animals that are herbivores for their lives and by maintaining their population, they keep the grasslands from being overgrazed. This illustrates the interdependence of living things in a food chain.
For their own life, herbivores rely on producers including grasses, herbs, shrubs, algae, fungi, and large trees. In return, these producers regulate the amount of vegetation, or flora to keep the vegetation in balance. Birds eat fruits, nectar, herbs, shrubs, and trees to survive, which helps them disperse seeds throughout an ecosystem to increase the population of floral elements.
As a result, all animals in the forest, including tigers, are interconnected within an ecosystem and the health of the ecosystem determines whether or not they will survive.
Why Do We Need to Save the Tiger?
Given below are the essential reasons why we need to save the tiger:
1. Tiger Supports Livelihood
The largest industry in the world is tourism. The tiger is the main draw for ecotourists from other nations as well as Indians, according to industry experts. Some international visitors simply travel all the way in order to catch a sight of the tigers in India, while others come back repeatedly in order to take advantage of further opportunities to do so.
This eventually has an effect on the number of visitors, which affects everyone from tour operators to local tour guides. Therefore, a healthy tiger population also supports livelihoods.
2. Tiger Protects Genetic Diversity
The tiger is an umbrella species. Its preservation inevitably assures the survival of numerous species of flora and fauna as well as entire ecosystems. On this Global Tiger Day, it is crucial to have a well-planned programme to save the tiger.
However, reports of a falling tiger population only suggest a short-term threat to the surviving components of our natural ecosystems. Thus, a strong tiger population also safeguards the other components of our natural ecosystems.
3. Tiger Helps Bring Rain
A tiger is a forest’s protector and a sign of its health. In fact, rainfalls are more frequent while tigers are alive than when they are dead.
4. Tigers Prevent Climate Change
Large forests, which are nothing more than carbon sinks in their natural state, are home to a thriving tiger population. The more tigers we can conserve, the healthier our reserves will be and the larger our national carbon sink will be.
5. Tiger is the National Animal of India
India’s national animal, the tiger, holds a special position in the country’s culture. It has long represented majesty, power, beauty, and fierceness and has been linked to bravery and gallantry. In Hindu mythology, the tiger plays a significant role as Goddess Durga’s conveyance.
Current Efforts Being Made to Save the Tiger
70% of the world’s tigers are found in India. As a result, the nation has a significant part to play in tiger conservation. The Indian government launched “Project Tiger” in 1972 with the goal of protecting the animal. Nine essential buffer regions for supporting the tiger population were informed as part of this effort. Currently, there are 48 tiger reserves.
More tiger reserves can now be established with in-principle approval to help in the growth and preservation of their range. The National Tiger Conservation Authority has given its preliminary clearance for the establishment of four new tiger reserves at Ratapani Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh, Sunabeda Tiger Reserve in Odisha, and Guru Ghasidas Tiger Reserve (Chhattisgarh).
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
Other steps being taken to save the tiger include safeguarding tiger habitat and reducing wildlife trading through international accords. In order to ensure that the worldwide trade in specimens of wild animals and plants, including tigers, does not endanger their survival, governments have come to an agreement known as CITES. In 1976, India ratified this agreement.
Global Tiger Forum (Inter-Governmental Tiger Conservation Network)
The Global Tiger Forum is the only intergovernmental organisation dedicated to tiger conservation and was founded in 1994. Its members include Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Vietnam – all of which are in the range of the tigers. The World Wildlife Fund, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), and TRAFFIC are examples of international NGOs. Members also include a number of national NGOs from India and Nepal.
Conclusion
The tiger is a rare animal that is essential to the diversity and health of an ecosystem. As a result, the presence of tigers in the forest is a sign of the ecosystem’s health. This top predator’s extinction is a sign that its habitat is not appropriately protected and it would not survive for very long.
Therefore, it’s not just about conserving tigers on this Global Tiger Day. It is also about ensuring human well-being, as forests are known to provide ecological services such as clean air, water, pollination, temperature regulation, and so on.
