Centre exploring tiger reintroduction in West Bengal: Environment Minister
The Centre is exploring the reintroduction of tigers in suitable areas of West Bengal, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Tuesday. He said the
The Centre is exploring the reintroduction of tigers in suitable areas of West Bengal, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said on Tuesday. He said the effort would be taken up with careful scientific planning and in consultation with experts to strengthen biodiversity conservation and ecological security. Speaking in Kolkata at the inauguration of the Animal Taxonomy Summit 2026 on the 111th foundation day of the Zoological Survey of India, Yadav said the move was part of a wider approach to conservation.
He also said India’s environmental governance had changed significantly since 2014, with the country now playing a more active role in shaping the global agenda on environment and biodiversity. Read Full Story Citing the tiger reintroduction programme in Sariska, Rajasthan, Yadav said the population there had risen from zero in 2008 to 56 now. "With careful scientific planning and in close consultation with experts, efforts are underway to explore the reintroduction of tigers in suitable landscapes, strengthening both biodiversity conservation and ecological security," he said.
The minister said conservation was no longer seen as a separate environmental issue. "Conservation is no longer viewed as an isolated environmental concern; it is now an integral pillar of our vision for sustainable development and Viksit Bharat," he said. Yadav said India had shown through initiatives such as Mission LiFE (Lifestyle for Environment), the International Solar Alliance, Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, International Big Cat Alliance, Global Biofuels Alliance, and its advocacy for climate justice that ecological responsibility and economic progress could move forward together.
"Today, we are not merely responding to global environmental challenges; we are helping shape global solutions," he said. Yadav used the event in Kolkata to outline the Centre’s plan to examine tiger reintroduction in West Bengal and to highlight what he described as India’s broader shift towards conservation-led and globally engaged environmental governance. Ends
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