The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change celebrated Global Tiger Day 2026 with an event in New Delhi attended by Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and Union MoS Kirti Vardhan Singh. The minister announced that India's tiger population has reached 3,682 animals across 58 tiger reserves, representing significant growth achieved over the past 12 years. Additionally, the number of elephant reserves, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, protected areas, community reserves, and wetlands has also increased during this period.
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) launched an eco-tourism webpage that provides integrated information and direct booking links for all Tiger Reserves, aiming to make information more accessible while promoting responsible and sustainable nature-based tourism. The platform consolidates authentic websites for safari and accommodation bookings across all reserves.
During the event, NTCA Awards were presented to wildlife officers and other contributors for exemplary work in tiger conservation and protected area management, recognizing the critical role of frontline personnel. Five conservation publications were released: the July 2026 edition of NTCA Outreach Journal – STRIPES; the Security Audit Report of 24 Tiger Reserves; a habitat suitability assessment report for Sloth Bears across Tiger Landscapes in India; Tigers of the World published by IBCA and GTF; and The Rehman Khera Tiger by Chandra Prakash Goyal and Satya Prakash Yadav.
The event also featured an exhibition showcasing winning entries from painting, sketching, slogan-writing, and mask-making competitions organized on the 'Save Tiger' theme for school children across Delhi-NCR. A nationwide tiger conservation awareness campaign was conducted through Eco-clubs under the Ministry's Environment Education Programme, with special focus on schools located near Tiger Reserves.
Minister Yadav emphasized that conservation stories incorporate traditional knowledge, emotions, passion, and years of experience beyond bare data, and urged forest officers to document their experiences to contribute to practical policy solutions. He also stressed the need for capacity building of forest officers and staff by incorporating global best practices, highlighting the role of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) in knowledge sharing.
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