Chitwan National Park authority is set to conduct tiger census in the community forests that adjoin the park in Chitwan, Nawalparasi and Parsa districts.

According to the CNP officials, the tiger census would be carried out in the adjoining community forest as well along with the park’s forest to find the exact number of the big cats.

Earlier the tiger census used to be conducted in the CNP, Parsa National Park (PNP) and buffer zone areas only. Conservationists believe that the community forests adjoining the park could harbour tigers.

Human resources from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Conservation, the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC), the CNP, the Green Forest Programme and Tarai Arc Landscape will be mobilised for the census.

The CNP officials said that  technicians for the count will initiate their work from Saturday.

The technical teams will be using camera trapping method for tiger enumeration and study their movement pattern.

The tiger census will be conducted simultaneously in the park, buffer zone and community forests.

In Nawalparasi, the technical teams will install camera traps in the community forests in Gaindakot, Pithauli, Tamaspur, Chormara and Dumkibas areas.

Acting chief of Biodiversity Conservation Centre in Chitwan Ram Kumar Aryal said camera traps will be installed in 70 different places of the CNP, buffer zone and community forests.

The tiger census is held in the protected areas every four years.

As per the latest census conducted in 2013, there were total 198 tigers in the country, of which 120 were counted in the CNP, 50 in the BNP, 17 in Shuklaphanta National Park, seven in PNP and four in Banke National Park.

A nationwide tiger census kicked off in the country from the PNP on November 30. As per its commitment to the Global Tiger Recovery Plan, Nepal is working to double tiger population in the country to at least 250 by 2022.