The tiger census in the country shows alarming decline in the number of tigers in India. With their total population winding up at 1411 with a 17.43 per cent coefficient of variation, the ministry has decided to take substantial steps. "The Tiger Project explained that the tiger has suffered due to direct poaching, loss of quality habitat and loss of prey,' said Rajesh Gopal, member secretary of the project, while making a presentation in the capital today. "But there is still hope.' According to the census, the lower limit of the total population of the animal is 1165, with the upper limit extending to 1657. The National Tiger Conservation Authority of the ministry of environment and forests initiated refinement of the ongoing process of tiger estimation using pugmarks in 2002. Based on the pilot study done in Satpura, the methodology was mainstreamed as a country level process endorsed by the Tiger Task Force. "The government has declared eight new tiger reserves to strengthen the population of tigers,' said Gopal. "An area of 31,111 sq km of tiger habitat has been notified by the tiger states.' Gopal added: "The estimation could not be carried out in some of the areas like Indravati Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh and Palamau Tiger Reserve in Jharkhand due to extremist and Naxalite generated problems.'