While tiger conservation efforts in the country have started giving encouraging results, tiger biologists fear a probable increase in human-wildlife conflict if prompt measures are not taken to deal with excessive population of tigers in some landscapes. Senior tiger biologist at the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) Qamar Qureshi, who is credited with introducing the first-ever camera trap-based tiger estimation exercise in the country, said the current tiger census — the results of which would be unveiled in December — was expected to reveal an increase in number of tigers more than the carrying capacity of tiger reserves. “The tiger population in well-established tiger reserves of the country has exceeded their optimum carrying capacity, posing a new challenge of dealing with their dispersal as they move more than 200 km from the place of their birth,” Qureshi said. He said a large population of tigers was thriving in the Nagarhole-Mudumalai-Wayanad-Satyamangalam landscape, followed by Corbett, Kanha and Kaziranga reserves. Qureshi said there was an urgent need to try innovative schemes to involve people and development agencies. “A mechanism to deal with man-animal conflict and over-abundance of tigers in some landscapes is required,” he said. Dr YV Jhala, another tiger expert at the WII, expressed similar views and sought immediate efforts towards ensuring legal status to forest corridors that provide much-needed connectivity to the tiger population, thus facilitating their proper dispersal. “With the number of tigers rising in the country, the striped cat could face the challenge of man-animal conflict in future if prompt efforts are not taken to give legal status to forest corridors,” he said. According to the tiger census report of the WII released in 2011, the current estimated tiger population is 1,706.