Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh today warned that if effective steps are not taken, tigers can disappear from 18 Reserves meant for big cats in the country. He said, a situation akin to Panna and Sariska reserves, where tigers disappeared, can arise at 18 tiger parks across the country if they are not protected in a proper manner. He was talking to reporters after the seventh convocation ceremony at the Indian Institute of Forest Management in Bhopal. He said, there are 39 Project Tigers Reserves in the country and among them, the condition of only nine is good, 12 need improvement and 18 are in bad shape. Both Panna and Sariska were in the news following<br/><br/>disappearance of tigers from the reserve. Ramesh said, there is certainly a conspiracy by mining and poaching mafia to kill big cats so that the land gets denotified and then they can turn it into a real estate or use it for mining. When asked to identify some of these reserves, he said that besides Panna in Madhya Pradesh such a threat also exists in Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra among others. <br/><br/>On the issue of shifting of lions from Gujarat's Gir Forest to Madhya Pradesh, he said the Centre wanted to make another habitat for lions. <br/><br/>As part of that plan, the Centre had asked the Gujarat Government to give lions to Madhya Pradesh. He said, the plan is still there and since both are BJP-ruled states they can also pursue the matter. He also said the Centre has granted 50 crore rupees to Gujarat for the extension of Gir reserve, but it wanted one more habitat in the country for their conservation.<br/>