Nepal celebrated a significant milestone in tiger conservation by nearly tripling its tiger population since 2010 from 121 to 355 in 2022, yet the journey is far from over.

Despite the country making remarkable success in increasing the tiger population, challenges persist in habitat management and mitigating human-tiger conflict.

The world marks International Tiger Day 2024 along with Nepal under the theme “Human-Tiger Coexistence, A Pathway to Prosperity” on Monday, which highlights the urgent need to address these challenges.

The theme underscores urgent action for mitigating human-tiger conflicts, managing prey-based habitats effectively, and constructing safe infrastructure that does not harm these majestic creatures, ensuring they can be handed over safely to future generations.

Noted conservationist Shant Raj Jnawali said that habitat management and prey density are crucial for human-tiger coexistence and conflict mitigation. “If there is low prey density, the conflict will be higher, as animals inhabiting lowland areas, including the Royal Bengal tiger, are dependent on food density,” he added.

He said that conflict mitigation depends on the habitat and prey species. “Keeping wild animals like tigers and rhinos confined to national parks is not a long-term solution. Space should be created outside these protected (parks and buffer zones) areas as well, otherwise, conflicts will inevitably arise,” Jnawali said.