In little more than a decade India has grown from a relatively minor exporter of stone into one of the world\'s largest stone trading nations. It is a move that is taking its toll on the sub-continent\'s tiger population, says the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), an environmental charity.

At the end of this month (March) the EIA will launch a new report that details the threat of quarrying to India\'s protected areas and the tiger populations that live in them.

EIA\'s investigations in India include a case study of Jamwa Ramgargh Wildlife Sanctuary (JRWS), which has revealed that illegal quarries inside the sanctuary are causing habitat destruction and disruption to tigers.

Opening quarries involves areas of forest in which the tigers live being cleared and continuing disruption afterwards caused by lorry movements.

Water tables are also disrupted. A Big hole drains the surrounding area, which not only deprives the local flora and fauna of water, it also deprives local human communities of it. As a result, the people move further into the jungle, which causes more habitat destruction and brings people into closer contact with tigers, which is more commonly fatal for the world\'s biggest cats than it is for the people.

India has strict laws regarding mineral extraction and tigers are an endangered species that is supposed to be protected. But laws are not always enforced. Where they have been and quarries have been restored, tigers quickly repopulate the areas. Unfortunately, quarries are often not restored but simply abandoned, says Debbie Banks, the EIA\'s senior campaigner for tigers.

The stone being extracted from JRWS is called Andhi, which is white with a green fleck. It is sold as polished slabs and tiles, although it does not seem to be making its way to the UK at present, at least under that name. Talc is also extracted and finds its way on to the international market as baby powder.

There are possibly fewer than 5,000 tigers left in the wild, says EIA, and 60% of them are in India, where less than 4% of the landmass is protected as national parks or wildlife sanctuaries.

With the expected continued growth of India\'s mineral sector, the threat to protected areas is likely to rise and, along with it, the threat to the already endangered tiger population.

EIA\'s report this month will highlight issues of corporate and consumer responsibility. The charity says it is not against quarrying in general but wants it carried out in an environmentally responsible manner.

The current report follows earlier condemnations of the Indian stone industry for employing children in quarries.

You can view the EIA report when it is published on their website. There is a drop down menu of campaigns and the report will appear under the \'tiger campaign\'.