CA TS UPSC: Conservation Assured Tiger Standards

CA TS aims to restore the tiger population naturally across tiger reserves, national parks, biosphere reserves, and wildlife sanctuaries. It comprises criteria that compare the present condition of these locations and whether it's viable for future tiger conservation.

CA TS is a must-know topic for Indian Forest Service (IFS) aspirants. It's also asked in the General Studies paper and a must-read to higher your scores in the UPSC preliminary exam.

CA TS UPSC - Overview

CA TS (Conservation Assured Tiger Standards) is a worldwide accreditation standard for the conservation of tigers. It comprises several pillars and elements that assure the successful restoration of the tiger population within a protected natural spot. Check out some of the most important information on CA TS below.

• CA TS is the largest site-based tiger conservation assessment across Asia.
• Developed by the World Wildlife Fund, the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards work in the protected ranges of countries with tiger populations.
• Governments and non-government organizations from around the world partner with CA TS to implement its conservation standards on tigers.

How Does CA TS Work?

Getting a CA TS accreditation involves a procedure. Tiger reserve sites around the world can become a part of this accreditation and get recognition for the same. Here is how the CA TS accreditation works.

• The sites willing to participate get themselves registered with the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards.
• If all the standards meet, the respective site will officially be approved.
• The site will be regularly inspected and evaluated to see if it is meeting the CA TS standards.

7 Pillars of CA TS

When studying CA TS UPSC, you should know the pillars and the elements that ensure tiger conservation. There are 7 pillars and 17 elements of Conservation Assured Tiger Standards, which are shared as follows.

Significance of CA TS in Tiger Conservation

Tigers play the role of a keystone species in the forest ecosystem. The CA TS conducts an extensive study of the ground factors to assess the chances of tiger repopulation in an enclosed forest. The CA TS is significant because it helps to maintain a record of the actual number of tigers in the world.

To continue working towards increasing the tiger population naturally, the WWF wants to establish 150 TCAs while registering all major tiger hotspots with CA TS. For CA TS UPSC, it's vital to know the role of the Tiger Conservation Authority, which ensures tigers can breed and multiply in their natural habitat without external threats.

Countries Under CA TS

The CA TS UPSC lists 13 countries that comprise the entire natural habitat of tigers worldwide. It includes:

• Bangladesh
• Bhutan
• Cambodia
• China
• India
• Indonesia
• Laos
• Malaysia
• Myanmar
• Nepal
• Russia
• Thailand
• Vietnam

CA TS UPSC: Tiger Conservation in India

India is home to nearly 70% of the world's tiger population. Out of the 53 tiger reserves in the country, 14 have received CA TS accreditation. In the last decade, thanks to rigorous efforts to enhance the tiger population, the latest census in 2018 reports the tiger population lies between 2603 and 3346, with a mean of 2967.

For CA TS UPSC here's the list of all state-wise tiger reserves in India with CA TS accreditation.

The role of CA TS in tiger conservation has shown a fruitful method to enhance the tiger population, otherwise decreasing because of poaching or lower reproductive rate. To prepare for CA TS UPSC-related questions, aspirants must prepare meticulously to remember all factual information on CA TS.

FAQs on CA TS UPSC

Q1. What is CA TS accreditation?

CA TS accreditation is a global accreditation standard for the conservation of tigers. By working in partnership with governments and NGOs, the CA TS aims for the successful restoration of the tiger population within a protected natural spot.

Q2. Which was the first CA TS site in India?

The first CA TS site in India is Lansdowne Forest Division (Uttarakhand). India is home to nearly 70% of the world's tiger population and despite having a huge tiger population, only 14 tiger reserves have received CA TS accreditation out of the total 53.

Q3. How many total CA TS sites are there in the world?

There are many CA TS sites in the world, located in within the 13 countries of Bangladesh, Bhutan, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Russia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Q4. What are the 7 pillars of CA TS accreditation?

To determine the tiger conservation assessment status, there are 7 pillars of CA TS accreditation, which are shared as follows.

1. Importance and Status
2. Management
3. Community
4. Tourism
5. Protection
6. Habitat Management
7. Tiger Population

Q5. What is the advantage of the CA TS UPSC?

Tiger reserves following the CA TS UPSC guidelines have the highest chance of tiger repopulation in the future. The CA TS works with local NGOs and governments to ensure that the reserved area is following the norms to restore the tiger population naturally.

Q6. How many tiger reserves in India have CA TS accreditation?

There are 14 CA TS-accredited sites in India. The states and the number of CA TS sites in them are as follows.

• Assam: 3
• Madhya Pradesh: 3
• Tamil Nadu: 2
• Bihar, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, West Bengal, and Uttar Pradesh: 1 each

Q7. Which is the latest CA TS-accredited tiger reserve in India?

The Sunderban National Park is the latest to receive CA TS accreditation. This tiger reserve received the CA TS accreditation in 2021. According to the norms of the CA TS accreditation, the Sunderban National Park is obligated to follow certain guidelines to ensure that the tiger population in the region increases naturally.