Co-existing with tigers outside reserves

India's tiger conservation efforts, initiated by Project Tiger in 1973, have led to a significant increase in the tiger population, with India now home to over 70% of the world's wild tigers. This success has resulted in a growing proportion (35-40%) of tigers living outside designated protected areas, leading to increased human-tiger conflict. To address this, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has launched the 'Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves (TOTR)' initiative. TOTR is a pilot program focusing on a scientifically grounded, landscape-based framework for conservation outside reserves, emphasizing conflict reduction, strengthening field protection, and fostering long-term coexistence through community participation, timely compensation, and technology adoption across 40 forest divisions in nine states.