Alwar (Rajasthan) [India], June 28 (ANI): Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Sunday inaugurated a workshop on 'Tiger Re-introduction: Opportunities and Challenges' here and said that the experts will deliberate on measures to bring about qualitative improvement in tiger reserve areas, knowledge-sharing, capacity building and reducing fragmentation.

Speaking with ANI on the sidelines of the workshop, he also said there will be discussion on ways to strength tributaries and enhance local participation.

'It has been 18 years since the reintroduction of tigers in Sariska. Across the country--specifically regarding the success stories of Sariska and Panna--we have seen great results, though there were one or two instances where our experiments failed. We are currently bringing together field directors from across the nation to discuss how to improve the quality of tiger conservation areas, facilitate knowledge sharing and capacity building, and mitigate habitat fragmentation. We are also looking into strengthening local communities and ensuring the participation of local communities,' Yadav said.

'Tiger reintroduction is a big programme in itself. We are doing a technical programme on the success of tiger reintroduction. The NTCI committee will discuss it later,' he added.

He said field directors have been told to find about deficient and excess capacity in tiger reserves which will also help address problem of man-animal conflict.

Answering a query about Sunderbans, the Union Minister said tigers move between India and Bangladesh in the territory.

'The Sundarbans is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in its own right--a unique region where tigers inhabit both the mainland and islands amidst the sea. In a sense, it is a shared territory between India and Bangladesh, allowing tigers to move freely between the two nations. While it suffered from neglect for a long time, we are now revisiting our approach towards it,' he said.

'This two-day technical dialogue has been organised specifically to facilitate knowledge sharing and capacity building regarding these issues--including the participation of local communities, the status of prey bases and hunting grounds, habitat conditions, and the scientific approaches required for translocation,' he added.

Earlier in a post on X, Yadav said that workshop brings together field directors, wildlife experts to discuss the key management aspects of tiger reintroduction.

'On a day marking 18 years of tiger reintroduction in Sariska, inaugurated the workshop on 'Tiger Re-introduction: Opportunities and Challenges', along with Rajasthan Minister Shri @Sanjay4India1 ji. The workshop will bring together field directors, wildlife experts and chief wildlife wardens from the different tiger landscapes of India and their respective states, to discuss the key management aspects of tiger reintroduction and augmentation programmes,' he said.

'It will draw extensively from the learnings and experiences of ongoing programmes, fostering knowledge exchange for strengthening future tiger conservation efforts,' he added. (ANI)