Hyderabad, Feb. 1 -- Tiger-occupied areas in the country grew by approximately 3000 sq km each year marking a 30 per cent increase in their territory over the last two decades, said a recent study published in the journal 'Science'.

Connecting the threads of ecological conservation with socio-economic and political factors, the study stated the tiger population is thriving not just in "high-quality protected areas" but also in areas with lesser poverty, armed conflicts and land alterations.

The study found that tigers "persistently occupied human-free, prey-rich protected areas" but were also present in areas with close proximity to the human population provided the areas had socio-economic prosperity and political stability.

Tigers we...