New Delhi, March 18 (IANS) Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh Thursday expressed serious concern over the dwindling tiger population.Speaking at the launch of a coffee table book on tigers, Ramesh said the tiger is not only a national animal but a representation of the country's forest ecosystem which is under severe threat from variety of sources like poachers, hoteliers etc.
Noting that a spirit of cooperative endeavour is necessary for the conservation of tigers, he rued, "The number of coffee table books on tigers are expanding geometrically whereas the number of tigers continues to dwindle in arithmetic proportion."
The coffee table book and a signature watch collection were launched here as part of the 'Tiger Series'.
A World Wide Fund (WWF) event, the book has been titled 'Tiger Talk' and details the contribution of people working for the cause of tiger conservation at ground level.
"This is a unique way of spreading awareness by talking about the tales of unsung heroes," said Madhukar Das, director conservation allowances, WWF.
However, Ramesh said that even as the date of the release of Tiger census on March 28 nears, the government has no clue yet about the outcome.
"I do not have insider information but I expect that we will have some good news to share with the country on March 28," Ramesh told reporters here.