KATHMANDU: Nepal has formally launched the Fifth National Tiger Survey with an inaugural programme at Chitwan National Park on Tuesday, aiming to assess the current status, distribution and conservation outcomes of the country’s tiger population.

The nationwide survey will begin in the Chitwan–Parsa complex and gradually extend to all tiger-bearing habitats, including national parks, buffer zones and forest landscapes outside protected areas. The exercise is being conducted in line with the Tiger and Prey Base Monitoring Protocol of Nepal, 2025.

The survey is being led by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation (DNPWC) under the Ministry of Forests and Environment, with coordination from the Department of Forests and Soil Conservation. Technical and financial support is being provided by the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), WWF Nepal and ZSL Nepal, while the Nepali Army and field offices will support on-ground implementation.

According to the WWF Nepal, around 250 field-level personnel will be mobilised, and 1,100 camera traps will be installed across priority tiger habitats. Scientific methods such as camera trapping and habitat occupancy surveys will be used to estimate tiger numbers, density, spatial distribution, habitat use and movement patterns.

Nepal’s tiger habitats are divided into three major landscape complexes—Chitwan–Parsa, Banke–Bardia and Shuklaphanta–Laljhadi—which together form the country’s core tiger range. The survey will generate data both inside and outside protected areas, where human–tiger interactions have been increasing.

Minister for Forests and Environment Madhav Prasad Chaulagain inaugurated the National Tiger and Prey Base Survey 2025 at NTNC’s Biodiversity Conservation Centre in Chitwan. The survey results are expected to be made public on July 29, 2026, informed National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), Nepal.

Nepal gained international recognition in 2022 after meeting and surpassing its TX2 commitment, with an estimated 355 wild tigers—nearly three times the 2009 baseline. Conservationists say the latest survey will be critical in assessing population trends since then and identifying emerging conservation and conflict-mitigation priorities.

“Nepal’s achievement of the TX2 goal was a historic milestone for global tiger conservation, but sustaining this success requires continued science-based action,” said Dr. Ghana S. Gurung, Country Representative, WWF Nepal. “This survey is critical not only to understand current tiger numbers, but to assess their distribution, density, and movement across landscapes. The results will guide the next phase of conservation efforts, including conflict mitigation and habitat connectivity, ensuring that people and tigers can coexist in the long term” he added.

The survey is jointly undertaken by the Ministry of Forests and Environment, NTNC, WWF Nepal and ZSL Nepal, with additional financial support from WWF Canada, WWF UK, WWF US and WWF Germany.