National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)

National Tiger Conservation Authority

NTCA is one of the most important authorities when it comes to studying environment for UPSC Civil Services. In this article, we will discuss about NTCA in detail. Candidates can expect questions from this topic both in UPSC Prelims 2022 and UPSC Mains 2021.

About NTCA

• The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) is a statutory body constituted under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• NTCA was established in 2005, following a recommendation of the Tiger Task Force constituted by the then Prime Minister of India to for reorganised management of Project Tiger and tiger reserves in India.
• NTCA cooperates with bodies such as the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and the other departments by issuing alerts for any illegal poaching activities.

NTCA composition

• The National Tiger Conservation Authority is set up under the chairmanship of the minister for environment and forests.
• The Authority will have eight experts or professionals having qualifications and experience in wildlife conservation and welfare of people including tribals, apart from three Members of Parliament of whom two will be elected by the House of the People and one by the Council of States.

Objectives of NTCA

NTCA has the following objectives

• Providing statutory authority to Project Tiger so that compliance of its directives become legal.
• Fostering accountability of Center-State in management of Tiger Reserves, by providing a basis for MoU with States within our federal structure.
• Providing for an oversight by Parliament.
• Addressing livelihood interests of local people in areas surrounding Tiger Reserves.

Powers of NTCA and functions of NTCA

• To approve the tiger conservation plan prepared by the State Government.
• To evaluate and assess various aspects of sustainable ecology and disallow any ecologically unsustainable land use such as, mining, industry and other projects within the tiger reserves
• To lay down normative standards for tourism activities and guidelines for project tiger from time to time for tiger conservation in the buffer and core area of tiger reserves and ensure their due compliance
• To provide for management focus and measures for addressing conflicts of men and wild animal and to emphasize on co-existence in forest areas outside the National Parks, sanctuaries or tiger reserve, in the working plan code
• To provide information on protection measures including future conservation plan, estimation of population of tiger and its natural prey species, status of habitats, disease surveillance, mortality survey, patrolling, reports on untoward happenings and such other management aspects as it may deem fit including future plan conservation
• To approve, co-ordinate research and monitoring on tiger, co-predators, prey habitat, related ecological and socio-economic parameters and their evaluation
• To ensure that the tiger reserves and areas linking one protected area or tiger reserve with another protected area or tiger reserve are not diverted for ecologically unsustainable uses, except in public interest and with the approval of the National Board for Wild Life and on the advice of the Tiger Conservation Authority
• To facilitate and support the tiger reserve management in the State for biodiversity conservation initiatives through eco-development and people\’s participation as per approved management plans and to support similar initiatives in adjoining areas consistent with the Central and State laws
• To ensure critical support including scientific, information technology and legal support for better implementation of the tiger conservation plan.

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