Girish Vashisht, divisional forest officer (DFO) and spokesperson of the state forest department's wildlife wing, said the camera trapping exercise would be launched after the monsoons.
While the dust over the "disappearance" of the state's iconic tiger Jai is yet to settle down, the Maharashtra government will soon begin its camera trapping exercise to monitor the tiger population in its tiger projects and source areas. The exercise will help reveal the health of the tiger ecosystem in the state.
Girish Vashisht, divisional forest officer (DFO) and spokesperson of the state forest department's wildlife wing, said the camera trapping exercise would be launched after the monsoons. "This will be done in the tiger reserves and even in the non-tiger reserve protected areas depending on the availability of resources," he added, stating that the tiger population in non-protected areas were covered in the National Tiger Conservation Authority's (NTCA) tiger census which was conducted once in every four years.
The exercise, which is part of the Phase IV monitoring, helps draw up an estimate of the numbers of the carnivore population and the density of its prey base and is a pointer towards the health of the larger habitat and ecosystem.
"The camera trapping exercise is conducted in tiger projects once every year," said Vashisht, adding that it was done in source populations outside tiger reserves depending on the availability of resources, cameras and extent of the area.
Maharashtra has six tiger reserves, namely Pench, Tadoba-Andhari, Melghat, Navegaon-Nagzira, Sahyadri, Bor and Navegaon-Nagzira. The state also has six national parks, 48 sanctuaries and four conservation reserves.
The tiger census, results for which were released in 2014, have said India has 2,226 tigers, up from 1,706 in 2010. Maharashtra has around 190 such big cats, more than the figure of 169 in 2010.However, the results of the Phase IV monitoring could not be compared with those of the NTCA's census as the former happened in a limited area.
"In case of a tiger project like Melghat, which has a huge area, the exercise has to be conducted in around four stages with one stage consisting of around 15 days," said Vashisht, adding that the time taken for the exercise to be completed in each tiger reserve depended on the availability of cameras, technical staff and resources.
The roads in the forest areas have to be repaired and opened before the camera trapping was launched. The results of the Phase IV monitoring will be submitted next year.
A similar camera trapping exercise by the forest department in tiger projects, protected areas and non-protected areas last year identified 203 tigers in Maharashtra.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Tiger")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}