The forest department is set to launch an extensive camera trap study covering regions in the Konkan belt from Mumbai to Goa, a move that will strengthen wildlife monitoring across the Western Ghats.
The initiative, part of the All India Tiger Estimation (AITE) 2026 exercise, aims to build a comprehensive database of big cats and other wildlife species.
Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) Wildlife West Dr Jitendra Ramgaonkar said, “To develop a comprehensive database of big cats and other wildlife across the western ghats landscape—from Mumbai through the Konkan to Goa — the forest department plans to conduct an extensive camera trap study, similar to the ongoing efforts in Eastern Maharashtra and the Vidarbha regions.”
During the last AITE exercises, 26,838 cameras were deployed in 2018-2019, followed by 32,588 cameras in 2022-2023, across the tiger-range forests in India. According to the report, camera trap pairs were placed in grids measuring two sq km, designed to capture tigers, leopards and other carnivores. Data from Eastern Maharashtra and Vidharbha helped gather details of several other species apart from tigers.
However, during the last AITE exercise, under the jurisdiction of the additional principal chief conservator of forest, Maharashtra, west, camera trapping was only done only the Sahyadri tiger reserve.
To get a detailed data of the wildlife using the wildlife corridors in Western Maharashtra, the Sahyadri range, and areas in the Konkan belt from Mumbai to Goa, next year’s AITE exercise will be carried out in even in areas that have no recorded tiger presence, as it will help the forest department obtain details about the wildlife in these areas and estimate the population of leopards and other species in this landscape.
As per the plans, an extensive camera trapping exercise will be done in forests, national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, community reserves, and conservation reserves in the districts of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Solapur, Ahilya Nagar, Nashik, Pune, Palghar, Thane, Mumbai, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur, and other places.
32,588
No. of cameras used in AITE exercise in 2022-2023
The Sahyadri tiger reserve
This is the only tiger reserve in Western Maharashtra. It is an important part of the corridor connecting the Tilari, Radhanagari, Chandoli, Koyna, and Kali tiger reserves in Karnataka. There are about 32 tigers in this corridor, of which 14 are in the Sahyadri area. The Maharashtra forest department plans to reintroduce tigers. Efforts are also being made to increase tiger prey, such as herbivore species, including sambars and chitals, in the area.
