2022 survey recorded five big cats in Goa
Panaji: The wildlife census under the 2026 All India Tiger Estimation (AITE) will begin in Goa in March and continue for three months, following a three-phase methodology integrating ground surveys, satellite data and AI-assisted camera trapping.
Forest department officials said that preparatory training for field staff has been completed. Experts from the Wildlife Institute of India and the National Tiger Conservation Authority, which oversees the national survey, briefed officials on the methodology to be adopted.
The All India Tiger Estimation was launched in 2006 and has completed five cycles—in 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018 and 2022—with Goa participating each time. The 2022 survey recorded five tigers in the state.
Phase I, scheduled for March, will document indirect signs of tiger presence such as pugmarks, claw marks, scat and prey remains, along with vegetation density and human activity in forest areas.
Phase II will use satellite imagery and remote sensing to assess forest cover, terrain, water sources and possible human encroachments to identify critical habitats and wildlife corridors.
In Phase III, the Wildlife Institute of India will deploy camera traps at key locations including trails, ridgelines and water points identified during earlier surveys. Each camera will function for approximately 25 days, and images will be processed using Artificial Intelligence software to identify individual tigers based on unique stripe patterns.
Officials said the national census assumes significance amid the pending tiger reserve issue in the state.
