The Living Planet Report 2026 was created by WWF together with the Zoological Society of London and evaluated population trends of 5,790 vertebrate species according to Down To Earth, reported on October 8, 2026. The decline in average population size was particularly steep for freshwater species, at 85 percent, followed by terrestrial animals at 69 percent and marine residents at 59 percent. The report cites India as an example of successful nature conservation according to Down To Earth, where populations of tigers, armored rhinoceroses, Asian lions, and other species have increased. Ravi Singh, secretary-general and managing director of WWF-India, called the report according to Down To Earth "a sobering reminder of the extent of the biodiversity crisis and a message of hope." The report also warns according to Down To Earth that conservation measures alone cannot reverse global biodiversity declines.
Estimates: More Than Doubled Since 1972
In the nationwide survey from 2022, the population was estimated at 3,682 wild tigers according to Down To Earth from October 8, 2026. Tiger surveys provide a statistically modeled estimate with confidence intervals, not an exact count of all animals, according to Rajnish Kumar Singh, deputy director of Pench Tiger Reserve, reported by ThePrint on January 11, 2026. This is more than double the explicitly rough estimate of 1,827 tigers in 1972, as Mongabay reported already on July 28, 2026, and considered it possible that the value may have since been exceeded. India harbors approximately 70 to 75 percent of the world's remaining wild tigers according to varying information from the same source. Project Tiger was launched in 1973, which according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority was to ensure a viable tiger population in India. The number of tiger reserves has since grown from nine to 58, together covering around 84,500 square kilometers, roughly the area of Austria, reported Mongabay.
The Sixth Survey Extends Beyond Reserves
The sixth edition of the all-India tiger census was coordinated by the National Tiger Conservation Authority and the Wildlife Institute of India and extended according to ThePrint from January 11, 2026, and IWN from April 10, 2026, to forest edges, plantation belts, and forest divisions outside the 58 reserves. The final report is expected in July 2027. The expansion of tiger surveys beyond reserves was already decided in 2006 according to Rajnish Kumar Singh, reported by ThePrint on January 11, 2026. More than 60,000 forest staff and trained volunteers were involved according to IWN from April 10, 2026; over 40,000 camera traps recorded individual tigers, which AI identified by their individual stripe patterns. Sources in India's environment ministry expected a population increase of at least 10 to 15 percent based on initial estimates according to ThePrint from January 11, 2026. Many reserves were already largely at capacity according to conservationist YV Jhala; he expected additional tigers mainly in buffer zones and multiply-used areas, reported ThePrint on January 11, 2026.
In Comparison: Terai, Tadoba, and Amrabad
The Terai Arc region around Corbett Reserve, where Project Tiger started in 1973 under then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, harbored around 560 tigers according to Mongabay from July 28, 2026, more than three times as many as twenty years before. Within the context of Tadoba Tiger Reserve in Chandrapur district, the number rose according to Mongabay from 30 to 40 animals in 2006 to 220 to 300 by the time of reporting in July 2026. In Amrabad Reserve in Telangana, unofficial estimates from the ongoing census according to IWN from April 10, 2026, indicated around 42 tigers, after 33 in 2024 and 10 at the first formal count.
What Critics Point Out
According to wildlife conservation expert Qamar Qureshi from the Wildlife Institute of India, increasing populations of large cats and other mammals have also contributed to growing human-animal conflicts that disproportionately affect poorer communities; poaching remains a separate problem. In the Chandrapur area, a total of 150 people were killed by tigers between 2021 and May 2025; in May 2026 a tigress died from a freight train, one of at least 19 tigers killed on this route within three years, reported Mongabay. Wildlife scientist YS Jhala said according to Down To Earth that India is successful with protected areas, but lacks a strategy for animals like the Indian bustard or Indian wolf, which live mainly outside these areas. In Amrabad Reserve in Telangana, members of the indigenous Chenchu, who depend almost entirely on forest resources, filed petitions against their relocation in April 2026; Kudumulla Tirupathaiah from Sarlapalli called the process according to Down To Earth from April 22, 2026, anything but voluntary, while government representatives emphasized that no one would be relocated without consent.
Poaching and Habitat Loss as Risk
Tiger poaching was an ongoing threat in India according to Mongabay from July 28, 2026, and increased in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. Tigers lost habitat according to Mongabay from July 28, 2026, even within protected areas, many of which were threatened by mining and infrastructure.