India harbours 60% of the world's wild tigers but, as elsewhere, populations are declining because of habitat destruction. An initiative between an Indian state government and civil society is set to counteract this trend, and offers an instructive conservation model.

Karnataka state in southern India has implemented several effective tiger-conservation strategies. However, the protected areas that shelter tigers are disjointed and isolated, and tiger populations are becoming increasingly fragmented.

Habitat connectivity between populations is essential for the tiger's future survival. It aids dispersal of tigers from source sites, enables genetic exchange between populations and helps to maintain meta-populations.

In response, the state government is actively linking tiger populations by identifying ecologically important habitats and designating them as protected areas to ensure long-term habitat protection.

For example, in May 2013 it established the 906-square-kilometre Malai Mahadeshwara Wildlife Sanctuary, creating a 6,500-km2 contiguous network of protected areas — the largest in the country. Over the past 19 months, the state government has added nearly 3,000 km2 of tiger habitat to the network.

This extended landscape should be able to host a connected population of some 500 tigers.