Project Tiger was incorporated in 1973 with nine tiger reserves covering an area of 16,339 sq.km., which has increased to 37,761 sq.km. in 27 Tiger Reserves.
The budgetary provision of the Government of India during 1973 was only Rs. 23 million, which has increased to 230 million during 2000-2001.
In the beginning of the 1970s, once tiger hunting had officially been banned in India, a tiger count was done across the entire country. This lead to the astonishing discovery that only 1800 specimens of this magnificent animal were left. This jolted the concerned authorities and some serious thought went into devising plans to save the tiger. The result was the launch of "Project Tiger" in 1972 at the Dhikala Forest Rest House in Corbett National Park.
The main idea behind the project was to provide safe havens for tigers where they could flourish as a species and hopefully reverse the startling decline in their population.
The project initially had 9 parks that were chosen for it's implementation. This number has slowly risen and a total of 19 parks are now attached to the project.
The project was begun in association with and still receives its main funding from the WWF.
Project Tiger Reserves in India :
| Name of the Reserve | State |
| Nagarjunasagar | Andhra Pradesh |
| Namdhapa | Arunachal Pradesh |
| Pakhui | Arunachal Pradesh |
| Manas | Assam |
| Nameri | Assam |
| Valmiki | Bihar |
| Indravati | Chhatisgarh |
| Palamau | Jharkhand |
| Bhadra | Karnataka |
| Bandipur | Karnataka |
| Periyar | Kerala |
| Pench | Madhya Pradesh |
| Kanha | Madhya Pradesh |
| Bori Satpura | Madhya Pradesh |
| Bandhavgarh | Madhya Pradesh |
| Panna | Madhya Pradesh |
| Melghat | Maharashtra |
| Tadoba-Andhari | Maharashtra |
| Dampha | Mizoram |
| Simplipal | Orissa |
| Sariska | Rajasthan |
| Ranthambore | Rajasthan |
| Kalakad Mundanthurai | Tamil Nadu |
| Dudhwa | Uttar Pradesh |
| Corbett | Uttranchal |
| Buxa | West Bengal |
| Sundarbans | West Bengal |
Last updated on: 21/10/2019
