Assess the importance of **landscape-level corridor conservation** in the Terai–Duars region for the long-term survival of the tiger.

The Terai–Duars belt runs along the Himalayan foothills from the Shivalik–Gangetic plains to the Manas forests on the Bhutan border. Its tiger habitats are broken up by rivers, roads, tea estates and villages. In October 2026, a tigress relocated to Buxa crossed the Sankosh river and a road at Gosaigaon to reach Raimona National Park in Assam [1]. Her journey shows that tigers here survive only if these habitat patches stay connected.

Why corridors are vital

• Natural return after local loss: Buxa was declared a tiger reserve in 1983 but has had no tigers in recent years [1]. Corridors let tigers return on their own instead of depending on repeated translocation.
• Genetic viability: The North-East Hills and Brahmaputra plains held only 194 tigers in 2022 [2]. No single reserve is large enough on its own, so gene flow between reserves prevents inbreeding.
• Space for young tigers: Sub-adults must disperse to set up territories. The tigress's movement from Buxa to Raimona shows the corridor is functional [1].
• Landscape-level planning: The NTCA notes that understanding tiger movement at landscape level is crucial for conservation strategy [3].
• Transboundary reach: Buxa, Raimona and Manas lie along the India–Bhutan border, so the population extends across protected areas in both countries.

Valmiki (Bihar) ──translocation──► Buxa (WB) ──Sankosh──► Raimona (Assam) ──► Manas ──► Bhutan forests

Fig: One tigress's route links reserves in three states and reaches toward Bhutan

Limits: corridors are necessary but not sufficient

• Fragile links: The 2022 tiger estimation found the Shivalik–Gangetic corridors narrow and in need of investment [2]. Highways, railways and tea gardens keep cutting them.
• Prey deficit: A WII study found that Buxa can recover only with continuous prey augmentation [4]. Without enough prey, a corridor simply lets tigers leave an empty reserve.
• Federal and conflict gaps: When a tiger crosses into another state, Assam, West Bengal and the NTCA must monitor it jointly [1]. Who pays compensation if it harms people or livestock remains undefined.

Way forward

• Give corridors legal protection as conservation reserves and build animal passages on linear infrastructure.
• Draw up an NTCA protocol for inter-state tigers covering who decides on capture, who pays compensation and which reserve counts the tiger.
• Pursue India–Bhutan landscape cooperation, and involve fringe communities through eco-development committees.

Corridors turn scattered reserves into one living population, which makes them essential to the tiger's long-term survival. Combined with prey recovery, strong protection and inter-state cooperation, Terai–Duars connectivity can secure a viable metapopulation. That outcome would fulfil the duty to protect wildlife in Article 51A(g) and support SDG 15 (Life on Land).