The tiger population in the country has risen to 1,706 in 2010 from 1,411 in 2006. Releasing the the latest Tiger Census in New Delhi on Monday environment minister Jairam Ramesh said that the figure also includes 70 tigers from the Sunderban region which were not enumerated in the previous census. He highlighted that poaching, mining mafias, realty sector and other development dynamics pose a serious threat to conservation of tigers in the country. Calling for greater allocation to Project Tiger, Mr Ramesh said that there is a need to strike a balance between growth and environmental objectives. He also said, India cannot hold significant number of tigers and some of the major tiger reserves including Corbett, Ranthambore and Pench are already touching their carrying capacity. He added that States which have declared buffer zones around Tiger reserves have done well in conservation. The 2006 Census had shown a sharp fall in the number of tigers in protected areas- reserves, national parks and wildlife sanctuaries in 19 states across the country.