WII to house India’s first tiger repository

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) will house the India’s first repository on tigers, under its new Tiger Cell.
The repository will consist of huge database on tiger conservation and population estimation which has been prepared with collaborated effort with the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
India’s first tiger cell was set up at the WII campus in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. In this regard, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed between the NTCA and WII.
The cell will house a database of tigers as well as DNA and stripes samples of the big cats from over 50 tiger reserves. It will aid conservation efforts by preventing poaching and providing an update on tiger numbers.

About Wildlife Institute of India (WII)

• WII is an autonomous institution under the Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change. It is based in Chandrabani, Dehradun.
• Functions: It conducts specialised research in areas of study like Endangered Species, Biodiversity, Wildlife Management, Wildlife Policy, Wildlife Forensics, Habitat Ecology, Spatial Modelling, Ecodevelopment, and Climate Change.
• Research facilities: WII’s research facility includes Remote Sensing, Forensics and Geographic Information System (GIS) etc. It has contributed in studying and protecting wildlife in India and also has popularized wildlife studies and careers.

About National Tiger Conservation Authority (NCTA)

• NTCA is a statutory body under the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate change.
• It was provided statutory status by the Wild Life (Protection) Amendment Act, 2006 which had amended Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.
• It addresses the administrative as well as ecological concerns for conserving tigers, by providing a statutory basis for protection of tiger reserves.
• It also provides strengthened institutional mechanisms for the protection of ecologically sensitive areas and endangered species.
• It ensures enforcing of guidelines for tiger conservation and monitoring compliance of the same.
• It also places motivated and trained officers having good track record as Field Directors of tiger reserves.

Month: Current Affairs - August, 2016