The Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala is the best-maintained of all tiger reserves in the country, according to the 5th cycle of Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) carried out by the Centre and released alongside the Tiger Census.

According to the latest tiger census data by the National Tiger Conservation Authority, India's tiger population has increased by 200 in the past four years to reach 3,167 in 2022. The tiger population has shown a steady increase from 1,411 in 2006 to 1,706 in 2010, 2,226 in 2014, 2,967 in 2018, and 3,167 in 2022.

The tiger reserves are not just for tigers, but they are far more vital as more than 35 rivers originate from these areas which are crucial for water security, Union Environment, Forests, and Climate Change Minister, said. The Union Minister also released a Water Atlas that has mapped all the water bodies in the tiger bearing areas of India.

The Environment Minister released the report ‘Status of Leopards, Co-predators and Megaherbivores-2018’ stating that the report is a testimony to the fact that conservation of tigers leads to the conservation of entire ecosystem.

India's leopard population increased from 8,000 to over 12,500 in four years since 2014, Environment Minister said, asserting the rise in their numbers following similar reports on tiger and lion shows the country is protecting its ecology and biodiversity well.

India now accounts 70 percent of the world's total population of tigers, the environment ministry said while releasing its fourth detailed national tiger estimation report.

The tiger signifies the health of the forest, their ecosystem function and services. India's wild tigers account for more than 75% of the global tiger population. India has played the leadership role in fostering wild tiger conservation and management at the global level by taking up several milestone initiatives.

National Tiger Conservation Authority has been constituted under the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006. Further section 38 O of the Act empowers to exercise the powers conferred on and to perform the functions assigned to it under the said Act for Tiger Conservation.

In India, the Project Tiger coverage has increased to 50 tiger reserves, spread over 18 states, cover 72749.02 sq.km which amounts to around 2.21% of country's geographical area.

India has achieved its 2022 target of tiger population in the country. The country now has 2,967 tigers, declared the All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018 released . India now has 2,967 tigers and the growth in the 4th cycle of the Tiger Census has been a 33 per cent.