In a first-of-its-kind exercise, senior forest officers in Madhya Pradesh are undergo practical, on-ground training from forest guards and field-level staff as part of preparations for the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE) 2026.
The unique initiative, now under way at Satpura Tiger Reserve, aims to ensure that senior officers understand the challenges and intricacies of fieldwork that are crucial for accurate tiger population estimation.
The two-day workshop, which began on October 15, has brought together Chief Conservators of Forests (CCFs) and senior forest officials from across the state.
Under the guidance of experienced field personnel, they are learning to identify pugmarks, set up camera traps, record indirect signs and use GPS and digital applications for real-time data collection.
The session is being led by Satpura Tiger Reserve Field Director Rajneesh Singh and other experienced rangers who have participated in previous tiger censuses.
A fie4ld officer, Rajneesh Singh said that the training aims to bridge the gap between field staff and senior administrators.
“Every successful estimation depends on those who spend long hours in the forest. It is important for senior officers to appreciate that process first-hand,”
he said. The Forest Depart-ment plans to replicate this model in other tiger reserves like Pench, Kanha, Band-havgarh, and Panna in the coming months.
Officials explained that this cross-level training model is not entirely new to Madhya Pradesh.
A similar exercise was carried out in 2019 and again during the 2022 tiger estimation, when forest guards were asked to train divisional officers on practical aspects of camera- trap deployment and habitat mapping.
The success of that initiative is said to have contributed significantly to Madhya Pradesh regaining its top position as the state with the highest tiger population in India, overtaking Karnataka and Maharashtra.
Senior officials noted that while Madhya Pradesh’s tiger numbers have shown encouraging trends, main-taining consistency in data collection and avoiding duplication remain key challenges.
The forest department now wants every officer—from guard to CCF—to be equally well-versed with field protocols.
Former Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) AP Singh said the decision reflects a progressive shift in the department’s culture. “It is a welcome sign that senior officers are ready to learn from those who work directly in the forests. This humility and teamwork will only strengthen the department’s efficiency,” he said.
The ongoing training includes orientation on modern tracking equipment, mobile data entry apps, and use of spatially explicit capture–recapture (SECR) techniques that form the scientific core of India’s tiger estimation process. Officers are also being introduced to improved mapping systems, drone-based surveillance options, and digital image authentication tools designed to prevent data errors.
According to department insiders, the field exercise at Satpura will be followed by a state-level review to finalise sampling zones, camera locations, and manpower deployment for the 2026 census. Madhya Pradesh has more than 20,000 sq km of tiger-bearing forests spread across its six major tiger reserves and several buffer areas, making meticulous planning essential for reliable population estimates.
