Maharashtra Signs 11 MoUs on International Tiger Day for Conservation

On the occasion of International Tiger Day, Maharashtra signed 11 Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) to enhance tiger conservation, habitat protection, and sustainable wildlife tourism. A primary partnership was finalized between the Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Conservation Foundation and Airbnb India to develop community-based eco-tourism around buffer zones.

International Tiger Day is celebrated annually on July 29, established at the Saint Petersburg Tiger Summit in 2010 to raise global awareness for wild tiger preservation. India, home to over 75 percent of the global wild tiger population, manages its tiger recovery under the landmark Project Tiger program launched in 1973.

According to the 5th cycle of the All India Tiger Estimation (2022), India's tiger population reached 3,167 in the wild, with Maharashtra housing over 444 tigers. The newly signed MoUs focus on expanding local anti-poaching camps, local youth employment, mitigating human-wildlife conflict, and protecting critical wildlife corridors connecting reserves.

This item fits into Environment & Biodiversity (GS Paper III) and SSC General Awareness. Potential questions may cover Project Tiger history, National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) statutory mandates, tiger census methodology, and key tiger reserves in Maharashtra like Tadoba-Andhari, Pench, and Melghat.