The immense biodiversity of the Northeastern region has made it a primary area for investment by the leading conservation agencies of the world. As per a World Bank report, Assam hosts the entire known world population of the pygmy hog, 75 per cent of the world population of the Indian rhinoceros and wild water buffalo, and a sizeable population of the Asian elephants and tigers.

Coming to Project Tiger, it has been under implementation since 1973, as a Centrally-sponsored scheme of the government of India. The main objective of Project Tiger is to ensure a viable population of tigers in India for scientific, economic, aesthetic, cultural and ecological values, and to preserve for all time areas of biological importance as a natural heritage for the benefit, education, and enjoyment of the people.

Project Tiger in the North East
 Project Tiger started in the North East with research work in partial phase under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. Though the said bodies have provided reports that the North East has around 70-80 tigers, but as Garga Das, Project Officer, World Wildlife Fund-India (WWF-India), has pointed out, “It is an estimated data conjugated with departments data and partial sampling of a few habitats like the Kaziranga National Park (KNP) by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), compiled and analysed to predict an estimated number or density. It needs a proper sampling. The population count of tigers in the North East is only an estimate, not the exact number.” When asked how successful Project Tiger was in Assam, experts have revealed that in Assam, while working on Project Tiger, they had to face quite an uphill task like rugged terrain and social unrest. The complicated habitat, combined with the thick vegetation structure, has made it quite difficult for people working on Project Tiger in the State to give precise and accurate data, although the project is in its nascent stage, and needs more rigorous field work. Aranyak, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has carried out research on tiger population estimation, prey abundance, and other ecological parameters. The results are yet to be revealed.

Kaziranga National Park
 The world famous Kaziranga National Park (KNP) (established in 1905 as a reserve forest), is spread over Golaghat, Nagaon, Tezpur, and the Karbi Anglong districts. The KNP has scripted a success story for itself in the conservation of the one-horned rhinoceros, and other wildlife forms in the North East India. In fact, only KNP, Manas National Park (MNP), and Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is home to the one-horned rhinoceros in the world. Around two-thirds of the world population of the one-horned rhinoceros is in Kaziranga. KNP is one of the significant natural habitats for in situ conservation of biological biodiversity of universal value, and has got inscribed in the World Heritage Site List, 1985. The KNP area consists of 429.93 sq km, with an additional area of 429.40 sq km. The buffer area in KNP is 859 sq km. The buffer area provides significant ecological value to the animals. Kaziranga boasts of the highest density of tigers among the protected areas in the world, and was declared a Tiger Reserve in 2006. The Park is also home to a large breeding population of elephants, wild water buffalo, and swamp deer. In the KNP, the tiger density is found to be highest in the world. As per unofficial sources (camera trap), it is an unbelievable figure of 25-30 per 100 sq km.

Manas National Park
 Lying on the foothills of the Himalayas, the Manas National Park is a phantasmagoria of beauty. It is almost a kind of vision. Situated in the north bank of the Brahmaputra river in Assam, Manas shares proximity with the international border in Bhutan. The National Highway Number 31 adjoins Barpeta Road (not Barpeta town), the headquarters of the Manas Tiger Reserve. The nearest point on the southern boundary of the Manas National Park is 22 km from the NH 31, and 19 km from the town itself. Barpeta Road is 176 km from Guwahati. A UNESCO natural World Heritage site, the Park shares the unique distinction of being a Project Tiger Reserve, an Elephant Reserve, and a Biosphere Reserve.

Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary
 The Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary lies in the Morigaon district of Assam, situated on the border of Nagaon and Kamrup district, in the Northeastern State of India. It is supposed to be the major wildlife stock, situated in a covering area of 38.8 sq km. The Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary is about 50 km from Guwahati. Though the total notified area of the Park is about 38.80 sq km, but the remaining area is jagged with hillocks. Pobitora was declared a Reserve Forest in 1971, and Wildlife Sanctuary ten years later.

It is mainly famous for its great Indian one-horned rhinoceros, carrying the highest density of the rhino population in the world only in a 38 sq km area. Besides rhinoceros, the other animals are Asiatic buffalo, leopard, wild bear, and civet cat.

Corridor Concern
 There are five wildlife corridors from the KNP to the Karbi Anglong Hills directly. There is a huge pressure on these corridors in terms of encroachment, illegal logging, stone mining, different threats and obstacles, resulting in disruption of wildlife movement along the corridors to the Karbi Anglong hills. Sounding a warning note, Das said that excess and unscientific felling of trees, bamboo and cane by miscreants, and excessive stone mining is proving to be a major hazard to these corridors.

Tiger Poaching
 The tiger also has to contend with poaching. Poaching can be attributed primarily to the huge demand for tiger parts. “Poaching of tigers is primarily done as each and every organ of the animal fetches good money in the international market”, stated Das.

The WWF official informed that this year, nine tiger carcasses were found in and around the KNP. He attributed the deaths to poisoning, natural death, and infighting. It has been observed that sometimes, the tigers are poisoned by the miscreants in the name of villagers, as some of the livestock supposedly fall prey to the predators. To reduce retaliatory killing of tigers and human-tiger conflict in the fringe villages of the KNP (there are around 200 fringe villages in the KNP), WWF-India has initiated an interim relief programme since April, 2008, providing financial aid to the victims of cattle lifting cases promptly. Several conservation awareness meetings are also being held in the fringe villages for conserving the tiger population.

Manas Tiger Reserve
 The Manas Tiger Reserve was created in 1973, with the Manas Sanctuary as its core. In fact, the reserve was in total disarray when the Bodoland movement was at its peak. Present studies reveal that there has been less number of tiger sightings in the Reserve. When it comes to poaching, wildlife experts stated that since the last few decades, more than extremists, poachers have killed the one-horned rhinoceros in the Manas National Park, and have almost pushed it to the verge of extinction in the habitat. The whole exercise of translocation of rhinos (in 2008), has been done by the Indian Rhino Vision, 2020, initiated by the WWF-India, in tandem with the Department of Environment and Forests, and other international NGOs. More translocation will be done from the KNP to attain a viable population of rhino, other than the MNP, to other suitable habitat in the near future.

Alternative Livelihood
 Overall, the scenario has improved in the Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, where wooded hills give way to alluvial grasslands and tropical forests. There is a steady flow of tourists to the sanctuary. In fact, the local communities in Manas have hit upon an ingenious idea. They are entertaining the tourists by serving them traditional food. They put up in the Bodo people’s homes. Of course, they have to pay.

The next on the wish list of the Project Tiger officials is to provide alternative livelihood to the local people, who are residing in the fringe areas of the National Parks and eco-sensitive zones. The Project Tiger is forming a federation to streamline the fund availability. Alternative livelihood is a more important tool in terms of conservation and protection of any protected area. The people living in and around any protected area have directly or indirectly contributed to the protection of the area. Majority of the people are totally or partially dependant on the forests and forest products. This trend is endemic to the Northeastern region. To save the protected areas or National Parks with floral and faunal diversity, steps must be initiated to reduce the dependence of people on forests. Collection of fuelwood must also be regulated. Of course, this practice is strictly prohibited to the National Parks.

Parinita B