Blog Details

India’s Largest Wildlife Survey Workshop At Pench Park

•  Adeeb Sahil
•  September 24, 2025

Pench National Park

Pench jungle safari

A major training program has started at Khawasa in Pench Tiger Reserve, also called Pench National Park. This is India’s biggest wildlife survey workshop. Forest staff and experts from many places have come together to improve tiger conservation.

They are learning scientific methods for better tracking and counting of tigers. This training will help them protect tigers and forests more effectively. Pench is already known for tigers, and now it is also helping train people who will work in other reserves across India.

Participation

The size of this workshop is very big. About 150 officials have joined the program. These officials have come from 22 different tiger reserves across central and eastern India. The tiger reserves are in states like Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Jharkhand.

The large number of people shows how important this workshop is. It also shows that saving tigers is not just the job of one state but a responsibility of many states together. By coming here, all these officials are showing that they are ready to work together and learn together.

Pench National Park is hosting them, which makes it a very central and important place for tiger conservation in India. This workshop has created a space where officials from many states can share their knowledge, learn new things, and later apply the same in their own tiger reserves. This kind of shared learning is very useful for protecting tigers everywhere.

Who Is Getting Training

The special point about this workshop is that it is not limited to only senior officials or only junior staff. It has a wide mix of participants who all play different roles in tiger conservation. This mix makes the training strong because everyone in the chain of responsibility is learning something.

The people attending the workshop include:

• Field Directors, who are in charge of managing the entire tiger reserve.
• Deputy Directors, who support Field Directors in daily work and planning.
• Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs), who plan and execute different activities inside the forest.
• Assistant Conservators of Forests (ACFs), who handle office and departmental responsibilities.
• Range Officers, who manage and supervise smaller parts of the forest called ranges.
• Field Biologists, who study animals and collect data for research.
• Frontline Staff, who are the most important people working daily in the forest and protecting animals directly.

This kind of variety in participants makes sure that the knowledge from the workshop will spread properly. Senior officers will take the lessons into planning, and frontline staff will apply the skills directly in the field. Because everyone is learning together, there will be better coordination when they return to their own reserves.

What They Are Learning

The training at Pench National Park is practical and useful. It focuses on the exact things that are needed for today’s tiger conservation. The officials and staff are learning step-by-step methods that can be used in real field conditions.

Some of the main topics are:

• Scientific methods of tiger estimation: This is about learning the right way of counting tigers. Without correct numbers, it is not possible to know if the tiger population is increasing or decreasing.
• Digital monitoring using the MSTrip app: This app helps forest staff to record data in real time. It saves time and makes record-keeping easy and accurate.
• Camera trapping: This is a very important method. Special cameras are placed in the forest to capture photos of tigers and other animals. This helps in identifying individual tigers and also knowing about their movement and behavior.
• Occupancy surveys: These surveys are used to find out where animals are present and how much area they are using. It also shows which parts of the forest are healthy and which need more care.

All these skills make data collection better. When data is reliable, the decisions made for conservation are also better. These methods will be used not only in Pench National Park but also in many other reserves.

Organisers And Purpose

The workshop has been organised by two very important organisations. One is the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which looks after tiger conservation at the national level. The other is the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), which is known for its scientific research and training in wildlife.

By joining together, NTCA and WII are making sure that the workshop has both administrative strength and scientific knowledge. This combination is very important because tiger conservation needs both strong rules and correct science.

The workshop is the first step in a larger program called “training the trainers”. The idea is that the people who get training here will later go back to their own reserves and train more staff there. In this way, the knowledge will spread widely.

The main long-term purpose is to prepare for Tiger Estimation 2026, which is the national-level tiger counting exercise. This survey happens every four years and is very important to know the condition of tigers in India. The training now will make sure that the 2026 estimation is done properly and gives clear results for planning the future of tiger conservation.

Special Activities At Workshop

The workshop also included some special events apart from training. A short documentary film named “Ek Nayi Sehar” was released during the program. This film shows stories related to tiger conservation. It helps in spreading awareness among people about why protecting tigers is important.

Another teaser of a film called “Tiger Protectors: Silent Warriors of Pench” was also launched. This film will highlight the hard work and courage of forest staff who protect wildlife in Pench National Park. It is a way to show respect and recognition to those who work silently but with full dedication.

Also, during the workshop, the frontline staff of Pench National Park were honoured. These staff members work in the forest daily. They face many challenges like wild animals, tough weather, and sometimes even danger from poachers. Honouring them is a way to thank them and show respect for their service.

Why This Matters For Visitors

This workshop is helpful not just for forest staff but also for people who book a Pench jungle safari. It supports better protection of tigers and wildlife, which keeps the forest safe and balanced. A healthy forest means tourists can see more animals and enjoy their Pench jungle safari more.

The training helps improve the overall safari experience. Pench is already known for tigers, and this program helps keep it that way. It also shows that Pench is a place for both tourism and learning about wildlife protection, which is important for the future.