New Delhi, Aug. 21 -- Summary Tigers have gone locally extinct from nearly 18,000 sq km of habitat in India between 2006 and 2018.

Poverty, bushmeat hunting, and snares are major drivers of decline in low-density but high-poverty regions.

Almost half of India's tiger reserves hold fewer than 10 tigers, with three reserves now devoid of big cats.

Armed conflict zones accounted for nearly half of all local extinctions recorded over the 12-year period.

Mining, deforestation and infrastructure projects continue to fragment habitats, undermining recovery.

India's tiger numbers have risen steadily over the past decades, but many populations are disappearing at a local level. A combination of poverty, mining, deforestation and armed conflic...