There has been a number of rumours circulating that India is to cease access to National Parks by tourists.
This has been met with horror among consevationists because well visited parks have the greater populations of wild tigers.

My question "Do they have more tourists because for now they have a higher population of tigers or is the tiger population higher because of tourists?"

As in Africa a poacher looks for the quiet un visited areas so the more tourists the more eyes to keep the poacher away!
But the higher level of tourism the greater the effect on the enviroment & the animals.
Also the banning or reducing tourism, would seriously have an effect on local economies & thus possibly lead to more poaching!!

As you know Tigers are very close to my heart, I canot remember my first Lion sighting but I vividly remember my first Tiger
I'm no expert, far from it but I think the days of the cheap tiger safari must end at least untill the population has risen to a healthy level.
I would hate that tiger tourism become the realm of the wealthy but I see no other way to releave the pressure.
I would add as a manual worker large fee increases would put Tiger Safaris beyond my means.
Again I'm no expert but since the control of park tourism was removed from the Forestry Department & given to the Department of Tourism to control, the Parks have sunk into a "Free for all" for guides & tourists!
The parks have always had this pressure due to the Indian culture with guides & drivers determed to offer their clients the best experience they can.

As usual I ramble on here is a report from the "Tiger World News" [URL=http://tigerworldnews.wordpress.com/2010/05/04/no-plan-to-stop-tiger-tourism-says-india/]Web link here TIGER WORLD NEWS[/URL]

No plan to stop tiger tourism says India
Posted on 05/04/2010 by tigress62

No plan to stop tiger tourism says India

Hannah Gardner, Foreign Correspondent
Last Updated: May 03. 2010 11:06PM UAE / May 3. 2010 7:06PM GMT

NEW DELHI: India’s environment minister yesterday denied reports that the government was planning to phase out tourism in the country’s world famous tiger reserves.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors from all over the world travel to India every year to catch a glimpse of a Bengal tiger, one of the world’s most endangered species, and a ban would have dealt a heavy blow to the country’s tourism industry.

Jairam Ramesh, India’s minister for the environment and forests, said: “Our policy is to develop a set of guidelines for eco-tourism where tourism takes place in a sustainable way, linked to the carrying capacity of the reserves. We are not at all interested in stopping tiger tourism.”

Last week, the Times of London reported that the National Tiger Conservation Authority was planning to phase out tourism in the core area of India’s tiger reserves because large numbers of visitors were destroying the cat’s habitat and driving away prey.

Six of India’s 37 tiger reserves are open to tourists and the core areas offer the best chance of sighting one of these elusive animals.

The report sent shockwaves though India’s high-end tourism industry and many experts spoke out against such a ban, saying that well-managed tourism is one of the best ways to ensure the big cat’s survival.

India’s tiger population has plummeted in recent years as a result of poaching and loss of habitat.

A census in February 2008 showed India’s tiger population had dropped to 1,411 from 3,642 in 2002. Some experts say there may be as few as 800 wild tigers left in India and that the species could be extinct in five years.

Mr Ramesh said that tourism at some reserves needed to be better regulated but that revenues generated from visitors meant that the local communities were invested in the animal’s long term survival.

“Tourism is the only way to generate revenue for the local community,” Mr Ramesh said. “We have no intention of stopping tourism.”

Kipper:

Interesting question

"Do they have more tourists because for now they have a higher population of tigers or is the tiger population higher because of tourists?"

My personal opinion is that the population is higher because of the tourists. More eyes and ears seeing illegal things going on is better for the wildlife. And, most tourists wouldn't hesitate reporting illegal things they see, whereas indigenous people hesitate reporting illegal things for fear they will be retaliated against.

I broached this subject with the head of KWS several years ago. Tsavo National Park is absolutely huge - the size of the state of Massachusetts. It is divided into two portions - Tsavo West is more scenic - Tsavo East boring savanna but I think with more animals. Tsavo East itself is divided. The tourist routes are on the southern side of the Galana River. KWS has closed off to tourism everything north of the Galana River. Why? Because of heavy poaching in the area. I am of the opinion that if more tourists were traveling into that area poachers would find it more difficult to carry out their illegal business. Before I drove from the southern section up to Daphne Sheldrick's Ithumba camp to see the orphaned elephants in the nothern sector we had to get permission of KWS before doing so. I hope that in the future it will be opened up
and that with more eyes observing it would cut down on the poaching.

My personal opinion is that the population is higher because of the tourists. More eyes and ears seeing illegal things going on is better for the wildlife. And, most tourists wouldn't hesitate reporting illegal things they see, whereas indigenous people hesitate reporting illegal things for fear they will be retaliated against.

Jan

I never thought about tourists being more willing to report illegal activity but I agree, you are very much correct in this statement. I also agree entirely with your thoughts here but there must come a time when the advantages of touristism are outweighed by the damage caused to the environment & in the case of the Tiger prey animal numbers drop.

Although I do know that in areas of high tourist activity the prey species take little attention of the jeeps & the noise.
Also due to the terrain there are large areas where the tourist tracks just do not go giving the animals a respite if needed except to remember Tigers are very territorial.
At times we have moved on tracks only used for forestry purposes & the animals have taken fright long before you get near.

Kipper: Perhaps the reason the tigers moved off when you were on the forestry tracks is that the foresty people themselves are harrassing or killing the tigers.

Something similar happened in Tsavo in the 80's or 90's. During an aerial count of elephants pictures were taken. When looked at by Joyce Poole and Iain Douglas-Hamilton they discovered many carcasses near the roads. Then when put together with the elephant's reactions to green vehicles (KWS) it was discovered that some of the KWS rangers had been firing at the elephants from their vehicles. Naturally they were all fired from their jobs.

Just a thought for you to think about.

I also think more tourist activity means more protection of the tigers from poachers.

But - definitely Indian tiger parks have to undergo some kind of monitoring at sightings, educate their park personnel appropriately, conduct census decently means allow park personnel to report the real numbers without threatening them when figures decrease. The latter took place for a couple of years BEFORE real census found out the number of tigers were not estimated 3000 but 1100.

India could learn from Africa.

It might proof itself right/wrong when more terrorists threads lead to a decline in tourist numbers and that will lead to increase of poaching. I honestly hope both will not occur.

Funding shouldn't be a question at all! A country/continent which builds nuclear weapons has enough funds to invest in its wildlife assets to keep the population healthy.

By the way: We have seen that in Kenya - when the tourist numbers dropped the poaching increased!

there is a lady on facebook that has some undercover video of some tigers and it is sad they look sedated. the people are mean to them. It has something to do with the buddhist temple there. I think it is called uncovering the cloak of buddha. so sad what animals have to go through just so someone can make money