Context:
Recently, NASA satellite imagery and Google Earth Engine computing power helped the scientists to develop a real-time monitoring system for tiger habitat globally.
Tiger Conservation Landscapes 3.0:
- A Large blocks of habitat with low human footprint suitable for tigers
- Initiative by – NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Google Earth Engine
- Represents the 3rd iteration of assessing tiger habitat across Asia and where tigers still occur.
- Goal – To monitor changes in real time to help stabilize tiger populations across the range.
- Uses – Earth observations such as VIIRS, MODIS, Landsat products and Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
- GIS – A technology that interprets and visualizes spatial data, such as how landscapes have changed over time, population densities, or the distance between different locations
- Significance – Unlike previous versions of TCL, the map can be updated when new information becomes available.
Between 2001 and 2020, the total area of Tiger Conservation Landscapes (TCLs) declined 11% and further loss could risk the already vulnerable population of around 3,140 individuals.
Tiger Conservation Landscapes:
- Recognized 3 main types –
- Species landscapes – Where tigers have been known to live during the previous 5 years
- Survey landscapes – Where the status of tigers is uncertain
- Restoration landscapes – Where tigers have been extirpated
- Attributes of TCL –
- Can consist of several adjacent blocks of habitat among which tigers can disperse, up to a distance of 4 km
- Need not be restricted to nor contain protected areas, but instead includes the entire landscape over which tigers may disperse and become established
- Boundaries of TCL are defined either where habitat ends with no suitable habitat within 4 km for the tiger to disperse to, or at country or eco- region boundaries
- Identification of TCL –According to their Class and Priority
- Class – Refers to a TCL’s current conservation status and probability for achieving conservation success in the next decade (Class I is highest, Class IV is not enough information).
- Priority – Indicates priority for conservation investment, ensuring the suite of Global and Regional Priority TCLs are representative across biomes and bioregions.
Related articles: Golden Tiger | A look at Project Tiger – 50 years on| Black Tiger | Project Tiger | How Tiger Reserves are notified?
Source: CNN
Previous Year Question
Which of the following Protected Areas are located in Cauvery basin?
1. Nagarhole National Park
2. Papikonda National Park
3. Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve
4. Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2020 Prelims]
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 and 4 only
(c) 1, 3 and 4 only
(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4
Answer: (c)
Explanation:
Option 2 is not correct:
Papikonda National Park is located in Godawari Basin.
