In 2023, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) merged the two independent Centrally Sponsored Schemes—Project Tiger and Project Elephant—creating a singular unified division named the Project Tiger & Elephant (PT&E) Division.
Administrative Rationale
- Landscape-Level Synergy: Tigers and elephants occupy overlapping geographic ranges in many parts of India, notably across the Western Ghats, Central India, and the Shivalik-Gangetic plains. The merger rationalizes resource distribution and eliminates administrative redundancy in these shared habitats.
- Funding Integration: Funding for both apex species is consolidated into a single budgetary stream to streamline annual plan approvals, fund disbursement, and financial auditing across state forest departments.
- Operational Autonomy: While the funding architecture has been unified, the individual statutory and advisory bodies—namely the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and the Project Elephant Steering Committee—continue to carry out their distinct regulatory functions.
Project Tiger
Genesis and Legal Framework
Project Tiger was launched on April 1, 1973, from Jim Corbett National Park, Uttarakhand, to arrest the rapid decline of the Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris).
- Scheme Type: Centrally Sponsored Scheme.
- Statutory Body: The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) was established in December 2005 under the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force. It was given formal statutory backing via the 2006 amendment to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- Boundary Alterations: Under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, no alteration in the boundaries of a tiger reserve can be executed without the joint recommendation of the NTCA and the explicit approval of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL).
Zonal Management Strategy
Tiger Reserves are structurally managed through a dual-zone system to balance ecosystem preservation with community rights.
- Core / Critical Tiger Habitat (CTH): These areas are notified by State Governments in consultation with an expert committee. Kept strictly inviolate, activities like forestry operations, collection of Minor Forest Produce (MFP), and grazing are prohibited.
- Buffer Zone: Peripheral areas surrounding the core zone. It aims to foster a co-existence matrix between wildlife and human communities by ensuring the livelihood, developmental, and social rights of local residents, determined with inputs from the respective Gram Sabhas.
All-India Tiger Estimation and Population Metrics
- Cycle and Methodology: Coordinated by the NTCA and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) every four years. It utilizes M-STrIPES (Monitoring System for Tigers – Intensive Protection and Ecological Status), a software-based GIS patrolling tool.
- Current Population: As per the 2022 All-India Tiger Estimation, India hosts an estimated average of 3,682 tigers (accounting for approximately 75% of the global wild tiger population).
- International Targets: India achieved the TX2 Goal (doubling the wild tiger population from 2010 levels) ahead of the 2022 deadline agreed upon under the St. Petersburg Declaration.
- Regional Distribution: Madhya Pradesh holds the highest tiger population in India, followed by Karnataka and Uttarakhand.
Global Conservation Status
- IUCN Red List: Endangered.
- CITES: Appendix I.
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I.
Project Elephant
Genesis and Framework
Project Elephant was launched in February 1992 to protect the Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus), its habitats, and migratory paths.
- National Heritage Animal: The Government of India declared the elephant as the National Heritage Animal in 2010 based on recommendations from the Elephant Task Force (Gajah Report).
- Primary Objectives: Ecological protection of elephant habitats and corridors, mitigation of Human-Elephant Conflict (HEC), and ensuring the welfare of domesticated/captive elephants.
Landscape and Corridor Management
Unlike tigers, which remain localized within reserves, elephants are wide-ranging landscape species that require extensive migratory corridors.
- Elephant Corridors: Narrow strips of land facilitating movement between two large habitats. The MoEFCC’s structural assessment identifies over 150 functional elephant corridors across India, with West Bengal and the North-Eastern states holding a significant density.
- Elephant Reserves (ERs): Administrative units notified by states to protect elephant populations. There are over 30 Elephant Reserves in India, covering a combined area of over 76,000 square kilometers. Singhbhum Elephant Reserve in Jharkhand was the country’s first designated ER.
Elephant Population Estimation and Distribution
- Cycle and Methodology: Conducted every five years. It relies on the block count method, waterhole direct sightings, and dung density measurements. The ministry has initiated the All-India Synchronized Elephant Estimation using DNA profiling and photographic captures to modernize the database.
- Global Custodianship: India harbors nearly 60% of the global wild Asian elephant population.
- State Wise Distribution: Karnataka accounts for the highest population of wild elephants in India, followed by Assam and Kerala.
Global Conservation Status
- IUCN Red List: Endangered.
- CITES: Appendix I.
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I.
Comparative Analysis: Tiger vs. Elephant Conservation
| Parameter | Project Tiger | Project Elephant |
| Launch Year | 1973 | 1992 |
| Apex Governing Body | National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) (Statutory status since 2006) | Project Elephant Steering Committee (Advisory body; non-statutory) |
| Primary Structural Unit | Tiger Reserve (Legal entity under WLPA) | Elephant Reserve / Elephant Corridor (Administrative designations) |
| Ecological Role | Apex predator; serves as an Umbrella Species to protect lower trophic levels | Large herbivore; serves as a Keystone Species and ecosystem engineer |
| Threat Matrix | High vulnerability to commercial poaching and targeted illegal trade | High vulnerability to habitat fragmentation, linear infrastructure alignment, and electrocution |
| National Population Rank | 1st: Madhya Pradesh, 2nd: Karnataka | 1st: Karnataka, 2nd: Assam |
Institutional Alliances and Conservation Initiatives
Conservation Assured | Tiger Standards (CA|TS)
An international accreditation tool developed by global tiger conservation experts that sets minimum standards to manage target species sites. India has secured CA|TS accreditation for multiple premier tiger reserves, including Kanha, Pench, and Kaziranga.
Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS) and MIKE Program
- MIKE (Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants): An international framework mandated by CITES to monitor trends in elephant poaching. India tracks MIKE parameters across designated operational sites, including Chirang-Ripu (Assam), Deomali (Arunachal Pradesh), Wayanad (Kerala), and Mysore (Karnataka).
- ETIS: A global database managed by TRAFFIC that tracks illegal trade patterns in ivory and elephant specimens.
International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)
Launched by India to mark the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger, the IBCA is an international alliance designed to protect seven major big cat species: Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar, and Puma.
Gaj Gaurav Awards
An institutional honor conferred annually by the MoEFCC on World Elephant Day (August 12) to recognize outstanding contributions by grassroots forest frontline staff, mahouts, and communities toward elephant conservation and conflict mitigation.
Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB)
A statutory body constituted under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, to gather intelligence on organized wildlife crime, coordinate anti-poaching operations across states, and monitor international border transit points to curb trade in tiger derivatives and elephant ivory.
Last Modified: June 13, 2026