Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh, long celebrated as India's tiger stronghold with a population now believed to exceed 1,000, is entering a new, more complex phase of conservation. The question is no longer how to increase tiger numbers but to gauge how many the landscape can realistically sustain without tipping the ecological balance.
With several reserves nearing their natural limits, MP forest department has turned to Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun, to develop a scientific, standardised method for assessing the "carrying capacity" of tiger habitats. A formal request has been sent to the institute, marking a shift toward data-driven management of tiger populations.
Since January 2025, MP has lost around 79 tigers, mostly to territorial fights. "We have asked WII to help us arrive at a methodology for tiger reserves in MP. There is apprehension that it will increase conflict. Some areas in MP have seen a rise in conflict over the last few years," MP forest department head Subharanjan Sen said.
The move aligns with recent Supreme Court directives in the long-running TN Godavarman Thirumulpad vs Union of India case. The apex court has emphasised the urgent need for scientific criteria to determine how many tigers each reserve can support, warning that both underpopulation and overcrowding carry risks. Experts say many reserves may already be approaching their prey-based limits. According to YV Jhala, a senior scientist with Indian National Science Academy and former dean at WII, studies show that while some reserves are near saturation, others still have room to support more tigers.
Currently, wildlife managers rely on broad indicators such as prey availability, territory size, and habitat connectivity. But the absence of a uniform and scientific benchmark has become a critical gap, especially as rising populations push tigers beyond protected cores into human-dominated landscapes.
The Supreme Court has also flagged the growing fragmentation of habitats. Many reserves now function like ecological "islands," cut off from traditional wildlife corridors. As a result, dispersing tigers are increasingly straying into buffer zones and villages, intensifying conflict and straining already fragile ecosystems.
This is particularly evident in high-density reserves such as Kanha National Park, Bandhavgarh National Park, and Pench National Park. Officials say the apex court's guidance signals a broader shift in conservation strategy: core habitats must remain strictly protected, buffer zones should be scientifically managed, and ecological restoration must go hand in hand with wildlife protection.
