Tiger Deaths and Harrier Disturbances Raise Alarms Over India’s Biodiversity Crisis
Rising tiger deaths and declining harrier populations highlight India’s urgent wildlife conservation crisis. Experts call for ecosystem-based, state-driven reforms.
NewsSutra
In recent months, a troubling rise in tiger fatalities and growing disturbances in harrier roosting sites have sparked renewed concern among conservationists, forest officials, and the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). These developments, surfacing from across key wildlife zones in India, underscore the complex and urgent challenges facing the nation’s biodiversity management.
As India celebrates its global status as a tiger stronghold—with over 3,600 tigers as per the 2023 census—the mounting death toll among these apex predators signals deeper ecological imbalances. Simultaneously, the decline in migratory harrier populations, especially in western and southern grassland habitats, has exposed the fragile status of avian biodiversity, often overshadowed by larger mammalian conservation narratives.
The Rising Tide of Tiger Fatalities
According to the latest data released by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), India has recorded more than 120 tiger deaths in the first half of 2025, marking one of the highest mid-year fatality rates in the last decade. Several of these deaths have occurred in prominent reserves such as:
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Kanha Tiger Reserve (Madhya Pradesh)
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Corbett Tiger Reserve (Uttarakhand)
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Bandipur and Nagarhole Reserves (Karnataka)
Of these, poaching, territorial fights, disease, and human-tiger conflict are the leading causes. NTCA’s internal assessments suggest that nearly 30% of the deaths may be linked to direct or indirect human intervention.
Visit the NTCA website for detailed annual reports on tiger conservation and mortality tracking.
Poaching and Habitat Intrusion: A Deadly Mix
While India has made significant strides in anti-poaching technologies such as camera traps, drone surveillance, and forest patrol digitization, the threat of illegal hunting remains real. In March 2025, two poachers were arrested in Maharashtra’s Tadoba reserve, accused of killing a tigress and trafficking her skin and claws.
Adding to this, linear infrastructure projects—such as highways, railways, and canals—continue to fragment core tiger habitats, increasing mortality due to accidents and inbreeding risks.
A 2024 study by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) found that 40% of India’s tiger corridors now suffer from varying degrees of anthropogenic disturbance, which not only restricts tiger movement but also weakens the broader ecological chain.
You can access the full WII report on corridor integrity from wii.gov.in.
Grasslands Under Siege: The Case of Harrier Decline
While tigers often dominate headlines, avian species such as harriers are silently disappearing. These migratory raptors, particularly the Pallid Harrier and Montagu’s Harrier, have seen a steady decline in roosting numbers across traditional wintering grounds in Gujarat’s Velavadar, Maharashtra’s Solapur, and parts of the Deccan Plateau.
Grassland ecologists attribute this to:
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Uncontrolled burning of grasslands during the roosting season.
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Conversion of grasslands into solar farms, agro-industrial projects, and housing schemes.
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Disturbances from cattle grazing and herder movement.
The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) has issued multiple alerts noting a 45% decline in harrier roosts since 2015, with sharp drops recorded in 2023 and 2024.
More data on India’s harrier population and their migratory patterns is available on the BNHS official site.
Why These Alerts Matter: Tigers, Harriers, and Biodiversity Interconnectivity
Though occupying very different habitats, both tigers and harriers serve as key indicators of ecosystem health. Tigers thrive in dense, prey-rich forests, while harriers depend on healthy, undisturbed grasslands. The challenges faced by both species illuminate a broader crisis: India’s ecosystems are under immense strain, and even its flagship conservation species are not immune.
The recent concerns also reaffirm that wildlife conservation is not just about saving individual species, but about preserving entire ecosystems—forests, wetlands, grasslands, and the species that call them home.
Government Response: Promises, Gaps, and the Road Ahead
The MoEFCC, in collaboration with NTCA and WII, has announced the creation of a Rapid Response Monitoring Team to evaluate the spate of tiger deaths. A proposal is also being developed to:
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Expand core tiger habitat coverage under the Project Tiger umbrella.
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Initiate grassland-specific conservation programs in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh.
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Provide compensation and alternative livelihood incentives to communities involved in illegal grazing or burning practices.
However, many conservationists warn that policy formulation without on-ground implementation will not suffice. India’s forest departments remain understaffed and underfunded, and monitoring smaller fauna and avian species often takes a backseat to megafauna-focused programs.
For current updates on Project Tiger initiatives, visit the Project Tiger official portal.
Role of Local Communities and Citizen Science
Experts agree that the success of any conservation policy hinges on community engagement. From the Baigas of Madhya Pradesh who once shared forests with tigers, to grassland shepherds in the Deccan, empowering local populations as guardians of biodiversity is key.
Moreover, citizen science programs like eBird India, Wildlife SOS, and India Biodiversity Portal are enabling real-time data collection and wildlife tracking with the help of birders, photographers, and local nature enthusiasts.
You can contribute or explore real-time biodiversity data via indiabiodiversity.org.
International Implications: India’s Global Conservation Commitments
As a signatory to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and host to major conservation summits, India has pledged to halt biodiversity loss by 2030. But with species decline accelerating and habitat degradation intensifying, meeting these commitments requires urgent course correction.
India also contributes significantly to Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP) targets and is part of CMS Raptors MoU, which includes protections for migratory birds like the harrier. With global eyes on India as a biodiversity steward, the nation must lead by example in conservation delivery.
The Way Forward: Recommendations for Sustainable Coexistence
Experts and NGOs suggest a multi-pronged approach to mitigate the crisis:
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Integrate ecological sensitivity into infrastructure planning, especially around tiger reserves and harrier grasslands.
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Restore degraded grasslands and forest corridors, with involvement from local panchayats and forest dwellers.
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Launch a National Grassland Conservation Mission, parallel to Project Tiger and Project Elephant.
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Enforce stringent anti-poaching laws, backed by faster conviction processes.
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Invest in ecological literacy programs in schools and local communities near critical wildlife zones.
Final Thoughts
India’s wildlife is in a delicate balance. The loss of a tiger in a protected forest and the disappearance of harriers from rural grasslands may seem like separate issues—but together, they reveal a deeper narrative of ecosystem imbalance and policy fatigue.
For India to truly safeguard its biodiversity legacy, it must act swiftly, strategically, and inclusively—before warning signs become irreversible losses.
