By Dr. Corinne Taylor-Smith | Project Leader
After almost five and a half years of site surveying and trying to overcome the bureaucratic hurdles which make Forest Rehabilitation a huge challenge for small charities like Tigers4Ever we finally got the authorisation to start which we needed in June 2025. The next biggest challenge was to raise enough funds to start this work. We knew at the end of May that the project would gain formal approval as we had the support of the Field Director in Bandhavgarh and his deputy so that we could plant trees and grasses on Forest Department (government land) so we started fundraising early as we knew that the upfront costs would exceed £15000 ($17100) in the first few months, even before accounting for the ongoing costs like wages for the workers who would plant the trees and grasses, clear the weeds and ensure that this new pristine habitat would be safe from cattle and other livestock grazing, not only during planting but in the long term too.
Ironically, the Monsoon season is the best time to start this type of work, despite the heavy rainfall which can render much of the work almost impossible. One of the first tasks we needed to address was keeping cattle and other livestock grazers out. But this was a huge and expensive challenge as we needed to construct Cattle Proof Trenches (CPTs) which are 2 metres (7ft) deep by 2 metres deep and 1400 metres (4594ft) long as they surround 3 sides of the 125-acre planting site. The heavy rainfall makes the soil softer enabling 20 workers to construct around 350 metres (1150ft) of CPT each 4-5 days, so a lot of work is needed to complete the task. The remaining side of the new wildlife habitat area adjoins intact tiger forest so CPTs are not needed as we want wild animals to use the new forest and grasslands. Thank you for your kind donations to date we couldn’t have started work without them. We must give a special thank you to our friends at Typical Tigers NFT who have made 3 large donations totalling more than £7800 ($8860) and are running a Special Edition NFT mint to help fund our Forest Rehabilitation project, without their kind generosity we wouldn’t have been able to start work yet! We’d also like to thank Team Tigers4Ever for braving the English weather to collectively complete 8 marathons (211 miles, 340km) to help raise funds for the tree saplings and grass seeds we need. Take a look at their fundraising page at: Team Tigers walking a marathon - GlobalGiving to see details of their quest.
We would love to be in a position to say that we have already planted 50,000 new trees and they are growing well, but sadly weather conditions, the need to construct the CPTs which will protect the trees and grasses form livestock, and clearing invasive lantana which covers 100 acres of the combined project sites, takes time and money wildlife so the steps to create the new forest habitat are taking much longer than we would like. Nonetheless, we are making good progress and as more funds arrive much more will be possible. For now, let us celebrate what your donations have helped us to achieved to date and look forward to planting more trees as soon as we are able. To this end we will take this opportunity to share why this project is so important and what it will achieve:
The Importance of Intact Forest Habitat and Tiger Corridors for Wild Tiger Conservation
India is home to approximately 75% of the world’s wild tiger population, making it a global stronghold for tiger conservation. The survival of these majestic apex predators is intricately linked to the health of their habitats, which are primarily intact forests and the connectivity between these forests via tiger corridors. These habitats not only support tigers but also provide vital ecosystems which benefit millions of other animals and people.
Intact Forest Habitat is The Foundation of Tiger Survival
Ecological Significance
Intact forest habitats are essential for sustaining viable tiger populations because tigers need space not only to exist but to ensure sufficient prey exists to support a growing population. These forests:
Threats to Habitat Integrity
Bandhavgarh’s and indeed India’s forests face increasing pressure from:
These activities fragment tiger habitats, isolating populations and reducing genetic diversity, which increases the risk of local extinction of not just wild tigers but other rare species like pangolins, wild elephants, leopards, Gaur (Indian bison), etc.
Climate Resilience
Intact forests act as natural buffers against climate change by:
Loss of forest cover can lead to reduced river flows and seasonal water shortages, affecting both the wildlife and human communities. Tigers4Ever has been working hard since 2016 to address water shortages by providing year-round water at 26 locations supporting more than 125 wild tigers and their prey. Discover more about this on our website at: https://tigers4ever.org/waterholes/.
Tiger Corridors are the Lifelines of Connectivity Between Intact Forests
What Are Tiger Corridors? Tiger corridors are stretches of forested land that connect isolated tiger habitats. Our new forest rehabilitation project at Sarmania will create a new Tiger Corridor to enable safe movement of wild tigers and their prey between two areas of Bandhavgarh forest which have become separated by years of deforestation. They:
Benefits of Corridors
Challenges
Tiger Corridors and Potential Tiger Corridors are frequently disrupted by:
Ecosystem Services
Tiger habitats offer a wide array of ecosystem services which benefit society at large:
A government study found that for every rupee invested in tiger reserve management, the return in ecosystem services averaged 2,500, with some reserves yielding up to 7,488 per rupee. Something which enables not only a stronger economy in tiger territories but ensures that the local community can benefit from being actively involved in securing the long-term future for wild tigers too.
The conservation of wild tigers in Bandhavgarh, is not just about saving a charismatic species—the wild tiger, it is about preserving entire ecosystems which sustain biodiversity and well-being. Intact forest habitats and well-managed tiger corridors are critical to this mission. Their protection ensures the survival of tigers and secures the ecological services that millions depend on. By donating to and supporting wild tiger conservation you are investing in climate resilience, water security, and sustainable development. It is imperative that Tigers4Ever continues to protect and restore these vital habitats for the benefit of both wildlife and the communities which live alongside them.
Supporting Rewilding and Habitat Restoration: Creating new, regenerating seasonal or reinforcing existing wildlife waterholes can revitalise degraded habitats and support the return of key species. This will be important as we regenerate lost wildlife habitat and expand wild tiger territories too, for more information see also our new project at: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/wild-tiger-habitat-restoration-project-in-india/.
Your Help is Needed
To sustain the growth of Bandhavgarh’s wild tiger population, more habitat and more permanent wildlife waterholes are needed in areas which can support both prey and predator dispersal. It is a major challenge for Tigers4Ever to provide more tiger habitat and wildlife waterholes right now when they are most needed, as we urgently need your help to deliver both. Your support and donations are vital to ensuring that these projects succeed. We NEED to raise £66000/US$75240 to cover our first few months of Forest Rehabilitation costs without which we will have to delay the work and dispersing wild tiger cubs need the safe habitat NOW! With funding we can mobilise local labour, but without funding it will take too long causing wild tigers and elephants to die.
If 600 people read this report and donate just £10 ($14) per month each it would ensure that we have enough funds to regenerate at least 125 acres of wild tiger habitat which they desperately need: (https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/wild-tiger-habitat-restoration-project-in-india/?show=recurring.
We need to keep wild tigers safe every day. Our anti-poaching patrols are quadrupled right now to counter the risks of retaliatory poisoning and poaching. If, with your help we can regenerate 125 acres of wild Tiger habitat sooner it will help us to keep at least 16 more wild tigers and cubs safe.
Your donations will help us to save wild tigers by funding the following:
- £11 ($14) per month for a year will help to plant 120 tree saplings to restore native forest
- a £26 ($30) gift will plant a mix of 20 tree saplings to help restore the diversity of the ecosystem.
- a £41 ($47) gift will help to clear 10sq.metres (108 square feet) of invasive lantana.
- £111 ($127) can provide enough grass seed to plant 2 acres of wildlife habitat.
- £600 ($685) can cover the cost of labour and preparation of 200 metres (657 feet) of 2 metre wide by 2-metre-deep cattle proof trench to protect the new habitat from livestock grazing.
Every donation, no matter how large or small, helps to increase and protect the wild tiger population. Thank you on behalf of the wild tigers, which you help us to keep safe; and on behalf of the wider tiger community in Bandhavgarh, which benefits from providing equipment and labour for our projects. We couldn’t do this without you, thanks to you, the wild tigers can live peacefully and those who live beside them can protect their livelihoods.
All donations are welcome https://goto.gg/70006. If you can’t afford to donate perhaps you could become a Tigers4Ever fundraiser, here: https://www.globalgiving.org/dy/v2/fundraisers/start/?fundraiser.projids=70006 and ask your friends, colleagues and family to donate to your fundraiser to help us keep wild tigers safe.
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