New Delhi, Apr 9 (IANS): The Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu and Bandhavgarh and Pench Tiger Reserves in Madhya Pradesh were on Saturday awarded the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CA|TS) international accreditation certificates.

With this, the total number of tiger reserves to get CA|TS certification becomes 17 as on date, the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change announced.

The certificates of accreditation were handed over to the officials from the three tiger reserves at Pakke Tiger Reserve in Arunachal Pradesh during the 20th National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) meeting being held on Saturday and Sunday there.

In July 2021, 14 of India's tiger reserves were awarded this global accreditation. India has over 50 tiger reserves. The government had initiated this CATS standardisation process 10 years ago.

Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav had insisted on NTCA meeting to be held outside Delhi - for the first time - in order to get first hand information about the reserve, local issues etc.

"While promoting tiger reserves across the country, we need to ensure the livelihoods of the people dependent on forests," the Minister said and pressed on active involvement of locals for conservation and better development of forest area and tiger reserve.

Yadav also released Standard Operating Procedure for Tiger Reintroduction and Supplementation in Wild', 'Forest Fire Audit Protocol for Tiger Reserves' and a technical manual 'Management Effectiveness Evaluation' (MEE) of Tiger Reserves in India prepared by the NTCA.

India harbours about 70 per cent of the world's tiger population in the wild.