All Things Policy India’s Big Cat Strategy: Balancing Conservation and Conflict Pt.1
Jul 17, 2025
Dr. Anish Andheria, President of the Wildlife Conservation Trust and a leading voice in wildlife preservation, discusses India's big cat conservation journey. He highlights the success of Project Tiger and the rise of Asiatic lions in Gujarat. The conversation navigates the challenges of reintroducing cheetahs, including habitat adaptation and ethical dilemmas. Anish emphasizes the necessity of community involvement and customized conservation strategies while exploring the interactions between cheetahs and leopards in their new environment.
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India's Unique Conservation Success
- India is an outlier in conserving large carnivores despite high human density and developmental pressures.
- Increased tiger and Asiatic lion populations indicate significant conservation success amid intense competition for land.
Project Tiger Needs Innovation
- Project Tiger achieved global acclaim but requires state-wise strategy refinement.
- Conservation must innovate to address growing habitat pressures for tigers to thrive into the next century.
Cheetah Reintroduction Challenges
- Project Cheetah faces habitat challenges due to insufficient large grasslands.
- Stable cheetah populations require identifying and preparing 2,000-3,000 sq km habitats across multiple sites.