Resurrecting TIGER (R) 3.11

7/29/2019 Resurrecting TIGER (R) 3.11

1/17

Suhas Kumar 27.5.2010 revised 2011

Resurrecting TIGER

Some Suggestions

1


2/17


Tiger's Plight: The Path Ahead

By Suhas Kumar

Tiger - the most charismatic representative of India's rich and diverse naturalheritage and of the health of India's forest ecosystems - faced its first criticalbattle for survival in the late sixties when only around a thousand of its ind wasleft to survive in the habitats disturbed and depleted by anthropogenic demandsfor natural resources! greed and false pride of hunters and poachers and theonslaught of unsustainable development"

#t this time! in $%&%! the fate of the beleaguered tiger was discussed at great

length in a meeting of International nion for (onservation of )ature and naturalresources held at )ew *elhi and a consensus was reached that if the tigers wereto be redeemed from the brin of extinction immediate and concrete steps mustbe ta en without delay" +ollowing this! the Government of India constituted atas force to conceptualise ob,ectives! strategies and action plan for conservingtigers in India"

The report of Tas +orce catalysed creation of % tiger reserves in $% . with thehelp of //+-International and I ()" To oversee the management of thesereserves! the government of India had already created 01ro,ect Tiger *irectoratein )ew *elhi in $% 2" Situation improved for a while but soon the tide turned

against the tiger again and today - after . years and .% tiger reserves later - thefate of the tiger still hangs in balance and the efforts to save this magnificentcreation of god has come to a full circle with around $344 tigers remaining andbattling again for their precious lives"

/hat has gone wrong5 /here have we erred5 /hat may be the strategies tolaunch a fresh affront against the factors that are decimating the Indian tiger andits habitats5

Lacunae in our effort to conserve tiger

"Our failure to address the management issues such as understanding theecology of small populations in fragmented landscapes and securingdispersal areas, corridors and potential unoccupied habitats has been amajor lacuna":

2


3/17


Tiger is a long-ranging species and its future survival precariously depends ongenetic exchange with other tiger populations elsewhere" Tigers inhabit andbreed in undisturbed habitats" /hen the population of tiger increases within aprotected area! competition among them leads to conflict and wea er tigers are

pushed towards the peripheral and suboptimal habitats beyond protected areas"6utside 1#s tiger's ,ourney into multiple land use areas - with scanty prey base!scarce water sources and degraded habitats - is mostly futile and fraught withdanger"

7eyond the boundaries the tiger faces an inimical environment 8 fragmentedhabitats! villages! hotels! mines and several other human land uses! hostilevillagers! and poachers who are emboldened by insignificant protectionmachinery and lac of ade9uate trained protection force outside tiger reserves"Tiger outside a 1# has no future :here I am leaving aside those chronically illtiger reserves that suffer from insurgency;" /hen tigers find no suitable place to

occupy outside protected areas! they are condemned to huddle within smaller areas and get into fierce territorial fights that often culminate in the death of thewea er tigers" This is already happening in some of the tiger reserves li e


4/17


The >inistry of Environment and +orests! Govt" of India in one of its publication?:244&;? +orest (over in Tiger Reserves of India @ Status and (hanges! reportsthat the forest cover in the outer surround :$4 m radial distance from theperiphery; has decreased in 2$ tiger reserves! increased in 2 reserves andremained unchanged in rest five" Thus between $%% and 2442 8 in a short spanof A years $23 s9 m forest cover was lost in the outer surround of the 2B tiger reserves"

Tiger's plight has multiplied by our continued shying away from real issues thatare critical to conservation of tiger" The tas of securing areas to strengthenconservation of tiger! other than already declared 1#s! appears politicallyincorrect as well as harmful because people who live in and around 1#s havebecome wary of wildlife conservation as they don't see any sta e for themselvesin conserving wildlife" The original plan of GoI to elicit public support wasexplained in a document - C Eliciting Public Support for Wildlife Conservation Cwritten almost 2 years ago! in early eighties! but very little was done towards itsimplementation" 7esides! the funds re9uired to implement a meaningfulecodevelopment programme in the buffer areas for the benefit of forestsidecommunities is going to be enormous and that ind of money is apparently notavailable for such a 'low priority tas '"

/ildlife conservation through in-situ conservation areas :1#s; alone has been aserious flaw in our conservation strategy for ecological boundaries of most largeand long ranging species extend beyond protected areas" The territorial forestssurrounding these 1#s are managed for production of timber and are heavilyused by local people who en,oy gra=ing and nistar rights within these forests"There was never an attempt to seriously try and inculcate a system of management that could ta e care of peoples' needs as well as the ecologicalneeds of wild animals dispersing from natal areas :1#s; in search of newhabitats" Even in some exceptional tiger reserves where the buffer area ismanaged by field directors no effort was ever made to manage buffers to achieveits twin ob,ectives 8

i. cushioning core areas from resource use by local people by managing buffer forests for sustainable production of small timber, fodder,firewood and non-timber produce and

ii. Protecting dispersal areas and enriching degraded habitats for wild animals in the buffer areas.

>etapopulation research clearly demonstrates that species get extinct at greater pace from island habitatsD on the other hand smaller and isolated but wellconnected populations of a species :metapopulations; might survive for a very

4


5/17


long time provided they remain connected in a way that genetic interactionamong these populations continues and also that the areas surrounding natalareas :undisturbed habitats where wild animals breed; have potential habitats for dispersing individuals to occupy" nfortunately! there are very fewmetapopulations left today! what we have in case of tigers are small and almost

isolated population in some of the well managed sanctuaries and tiger reserves"These small isolated populations are bound to perish in not so distant future for want of connectivity between habitats and a dearth of unoccupied suitablehabitats" In most forests outside protected areas prey base is sparse or absent!water is scarce and cover is deficient! 8 tigers shun such areas! therefore! a nyeffort that concentrates solely on protecting tigers in tiger reserves cannothelp tiger survive in the long run.

Half-hearted effort to manage Human: Wildlife onflict

/ildlife and human population reside in same habitat and utilise same resourcesfor sustenance besides the interspersion of crop-fields with wildlife habitatsinevitably acts as a lure for wild animals not only for food but cover! too" Thusevery now and then this situation results into conflicts" uman population andwildlife is coming in direct conflict with each other constantly with following fallout?

Foss of human life from carnivore attac " In,ury caused to humans by wild animals"

Five stoc damage" (rop damage in and around protected areas"

The hostility of villagers emanates from indirect impacts of creation of protectedareas also 8

Issues related to minor forest produce and firewood collection andcattle gra=ing in and around 1#s"

7an imposed by Section-24 on transfer of rights has generated seriousresentment in local population and conse9uently wildlife suffers inrevenge perpetrated"

*elays in Right settlement process and payment of compensation Sluggish implementation of Relocation and rehabilitation programmes

that is largely due to unavailability of the promised allocations from thecentral government"

#ll these accumulate and results in 8

5


6/17


ostile acts of poisoning and electrocution of wild animals Siding with professional poachers" *eliberate forest fires ostile acts of habitat destruction" physical conflict with staff *amage to government property )on-cooperation by villagers during crime investigation Inviting and sheltering traditional hunter communities

Some sates have begun efforts to tac le these issues seriously by deployingwildlife Rescue S9uads! creating physical barriers around crop lands! permittingextermination of highly damaging species li e blue bull and wild pigs under certain conditions! payment of compensation for in,ury or death of humans! cattleloss and crop damage by wild animals"

7ut there are problemsD either the efforts are on small scale or there is lac of sincerity in their implementation for example the effort to compensate villagers for their losses so far have been miniscule or so burdened by stringent rules thattimely disbursement of compensation to the aggrieved is a serious problem and acause of resentment among local people"

# human being in,ured illed or cattle eaten by a carnivore within a national pardo not entitle the aggrieved to a compensation unless it is proved beyond doubtthat the person or the cattle was inside the national par on legitimate business"

!on-e istent Wildlife Health #onitoring, disease diagnostic and$esearch %acility:

(ontinuous monitoring on wildlife health and appropriate prophylactic! diagnosticand health management interventions are critical to the conservation of wildlifewhether captive or free ranging! especially so in case of critically endangeredspecies but unfortunately it has remained a neglected field of wildlifemanagement so far" In order to do so it is necessary that the field staff is able tocollect! properly pac age and dispatch the body organs of wild animals founddead in an un-natural manner for laboratory analysis" This entails training of staff! provision of e9uipment and most importantly a well e9uipped laboratory for carrying out histopathological! serological and toxicological examination" It isalso necessary to continuously gather data on various parameters of bodyfunctions by analysis blood samples and tissues obtained from healthy animalsto create blood profiles! en=yme profiles and hormone profiles" This informationbecomes critical in detecting diseases and deploying disease containmentmeasures during epidemics .

6


7/17


&bsence of Wildlife %orensic %acility:Farge number of wildlife poaching cases is apprehended every year but the rateof conviction of the offenders is very low" The reason is that unli e the policedepartment! the forest department does not have well-established forensicinfrastructure and therefore! it often fails to gather and analy=e evidences thatneed forensic facility and expertise"

/ildlife ealth and forensic facilities are two ma,or areas where the >adhya1radesh made a humble beginning in$%% " It was envisioned that a full-fledgedautonomous (entre of excellence to cater to the need of this state as well as

ad,oining tiger bearing states"To develop wildlife forensic facility it would be essential to develop techni9uesand methods for identification of species from nown samples of bones! hair!s in! claws and teeth! meat HSerological tests for identification of species fromraw meat sample :species specific Serum needs to be developed for eachspecies; !*)# :finger printing";

In /ildlife offences almost in B4J cases the courts as for conclusive evidencefor identification of species" In such a scenario our first tas should be tostrengthen and e9uip this cell and permit it to create a repository of nownsamples of *)#! bones! claws! teeth! s in! and meat" Such a facility is a

necessity today" >"1 being a centrally located amongst the tiger bearing states isan ideal state for this purpose"

& ne' threat

(nregulated )ourism an emergent threat to tiger

6f late unplanned and unregulated growth of tourism infrastructure around tiger reserves has become an emergent threat to tiger as its dispersal areas andcorridors! already cho ed with present and expanding villages! roads and canals!

mines and industries! are now threatened by the proliferation of a number of newhotels and large resorts that not only occupy critical movement corridors but arealso a constant source of disturbance and pollution"

The )ational /ildlife action 1lan 2442-$& mandates implementation of 'Ecotourism' in protected areas" The )ational Tiger (onservation #uthority alsoprescribes the same! but as tourism in well- now in the tiger Reserves! has ahistory older than the concepts li e sustainable tourism and ecotourism! most

7


8/17


1#s suffer from the ills of traditional mass tourism that hardly cares for theenvironment! the ecology or the interests of local people" The way things aretoday! only implementation of ecotourism in its truest spirit can save theseprecious areas from a certain doom"

nplanned development of tourism always results in attrition of the resources!adversely impacts wildlife habitats and finally leads to dissatisfaction of visitorsand earns a bad name for the protected area and the government" Increasingand unrestricted use of local resources such as ground water and firewood hasboth social repercussions and adverse ecological impacts" Escalation of prices of land and commodities owing to tourism growth in a region may bring aboutserious hardships to local people! for example the lac of ade9uate sanitationfacilities in many East #frican par s results in the disposal of campsite sewage inrivers! contaminating the wildlife! livestoc ! and people who draw drin ing water from it" The same situation exists around several protected areas in India" Theirresponsible dumping of itchen waste transforms wild animals into scavengers"

7esides! in recent time another serious threat has been proliferation of hotelsand dhabas ,ust at the door-steps of tiger reserves" These structures have cut off corridors and potential dispersal areas"

# large number of hotels and eateries in remote locations also exert demands onalready burdened buffer forests for supply of firewood and further degrading thebuffer forests" #round well- nown tiger reserves numerous hotels are alreadyoperating and several new hotels are in the pipeline" The lands on which thesehotels are built mostly belong to the poor forest side tribal people! who attractedby lure of money sell their lands and become landless labourers or start transientbusinesses such as ply taxies" Such development is in nobodyKs :hoteliers! tour

operators! locals and the protected area; interest and therefore! unsustainable"

Though! today Ecotourism is considered the most rapidly expanding sectors of the travel industry" #nd it is being promoted by many as a way to achieveenvironmental conservation ob,ectives and as a tool for sustainable developmentof remotely situated host communities! yet little effort is visible in the Tiger reserves towards involving and benefiting forest dependent local people who arenot well disposed towards protected area owing to resource use conflicts"

Tourism >anagement capacity in most 1# is sub optimal" 1rotection staff gets

diverted to tourism management" #s tourism management re9uires differents ills! the 9uality of output by forest functionaries does not always lead to visitor satisfaction" Though the management plans exist! there is hardly any detailedplanning for visitor management and visitor use of the area" Tiger reserves areadhering to 'vehicle carrying capacities' calculated for each tiger reserve using aset of guidelines and a methodology based on :(ifuentes! >"! $%%2; andsuggested by the )ational Tiger conservation #uthority but this methodologysuffers from sub,ectivity and appears to be flawed to the extent that it is

8


9/17


amenable to easy modifications by practitioners at will" In nutshell the mandate of practicing ecotourism in the tiger reserves is going on in an ad hoc manner"

*espite the policies that advocate implementation of sustainability principles of Ecotourism for managing tourism in protected areas the rapid commerciali=ationhas raised serious concerns" The Instructions issued by >ember Secretary!)T(# to all (/F/s and +ield directors of tiger reserves shows the gravity of thesituation?

"...... t shall be appreciated that our tiger reserves are smaller in si!e and areimportant natal areas repositories of endangered gene pools harbouring theremaining source pool of the tiger, co-predators and prey animals. #nder nocircumstances we can afford to become competing destinations for large si!esafari par$s of other countries for fostering tourism, at the cost of the critical tiger habitats as e%plained identified established under Section &'( of the Wildlife

)Protection* +ct, /, involving relocation of villages from such areas, at a great cost, to provide the desired inviolate space for tigers0." )12C+ nstructions onregulation of tourist visitation in tiger reserves dated - 3 4ec,/55 *

$eluctance of foresters to 'or* for 'ildlife conservation

The other important issue is the reluctance of forest personnel to wor for wildlife"Today it is hard to find willing forest personnel who would li e to serve in this fieldand those who manage the territorial forest areas have never been seriouslyinvolved in protecting and managing habitats for wildlife under their ,urisdiction"/ithin +orest departments! there is always a war going on - those who wor in

wildlife areas are pariahs! non-elite" Today! it is almost impossible to find anofficer who willingly consents to undergo wildlife training or ,oin a wildlife area"The present atmosphere of distrust towards wildlife managers is going to becounterproductiveD if this continues the hitherto devoted officers! who deliberatelychose a career in wildlife management! would soon li e to move in other directions"

The officers managing the non-1# forests were never made to feel responsiblefor tigers and other wildlife" Today the tiger has become a dangerous thing tothem - tiger is li e hot potato that can burn their fingers and dislodge them fromtheir commands or may lead to their suspension" #nd! therefore! the managers of

non-1# forests have now begun to avoid supporting reports of movements or presence of tiger within their ,urisdiction"

6n the other hand the wildlife personnel who wor in remote areas bravingharshest of conditions and without incentives are further marginalised by media!and public breathing down their nec " There is perhaps no other civilian set up inthe country where field personnel are sub,ected to such hardships" Their plightwas amply highlighted in the report presented by Subramaniam committee to

9


10/17


6oE7 in & " This report was prepared after the committee met and discussedwith a large number of field personnel! par mangers! scientists and )G6sacross the country" The committee gave several excellent recommendations thatwere only sparingly implemented" Today! there may be only a few who wouldwish to ac nowledge the existence of this report"

+n nutshell threats to tiger emanate from:

$" *egradation of potential tiger habitats2" +ragmentation of dispersal habitats and corridors." *istrust and ostility of resource deprived local people3" Tiger populations restricted in small natal areas that have become

virtual islands"A" 1resence of a large number of villages in critical wildlife habitats also

threatens survival of tiger" 1rotected #reas have been under seriousbiotic pressure owing to heavy dependence of people and their cattleon the forest resources"

"&" 6ne of the biggest threat to wildlife and especially tiger is form illing

by poisoning and electrocution by hostile villagers and trapping!snaring! shooting by professional poachers

" #ged staff! little incentive to wor in remote and harsh conditions :noother civilian formation is nown to live and wor in such adverseconditions;

B" Fac of trained officers and field personnel : *ifficult to find officerswilling to undergo wildlife Training or opt for a wildlife 1osting;

%" 1oor or no wildlife health monitoring and disease diagnostic facilitiesavailable"

$4" Fac of centre s for wildlife forensics :leads to poor rate of conviction

as culprits are released for want of incriminating evidence;$$" Fittle s ill and resources to run covert information gathering and for

investigations"$2" 1oor monitoring and research support! little attention on monitoring

population trends"$." Stringent rules lead to delay or no payment of compensation for loss of

human life or cattle or crop damage compensation to villagers earningtheir hostility"

10


11/17


$3" #nnual availability funds for wildlife management falls short of actualre9uirement to implement management plan prescriptions

$A" >eagre allocation is made available to 1#s for eliciting people supportthrough ecodevelopment: >ost Ecodevelopment committees aredefunct;

$&" Lery little fund made available to )on- 1# forest areas for wildlifeprotection and conservation :+unding to non-1# forests for wildlifeconservation began recently in 244B-4%"

$ " Fittle attention has been paid to reduce man? animal conflict andrescue wildlife in distress! earning a poor public image and little publicsupport"

$B" 1olluting! disturbing and resource degrading land uses around natalareas! potential habitats and corridors"

$%" Insurgency affecting management of tiger reserves24" Fac of effort to wean away traditional hunter tribes from wildlife

poaching "

$ecommendations

Tiger's long term survival is critically dependent on the health of its habitatDunfortunately! the habitat of the tiger extends beyond the confines of the smallsi=ed protected areas that are hardly protected" Met! I believe! that despite facingthe most terrible and adverse time's today tiger may still have a chance if anhonest and focussed strategy is implemented to secure the landscapes that arecritical for its survival" Today! a large number of people are convinced that allother issues - local people's livelihoods! threat of unplanned and mismanagedtourism! legal issues! roping in all sta eholders- are in fact integral component of

the core issue of conserving the landscapes where tiger lives and thrives andtherefore the foremost tas will be to?

&. ecure ispersal areas, otential )iger Habitats and orridors:&ddressing Livelihood issues and gaining local people support for tiger and its habitat:

$" The /ildlife /ing of the states must map the critical tiger habitats that arestill being used by tigers! potential habitats! corridor lin ages with other

)atal areas and existing and possible dispersal areas ad,unct to natalareas" 6nce mapped! these areas must ept free from any form of landuse that may lead to disturbance! habitat degradation! expose wildanimals to ris s! and bloc movement corridors" #ppropriate legislationneeds to be brought in to implement this critical action"

2" Enforce a land use policy that supports protection of potential wildlifedispersal areas around tiger reserves :regulate land-uses such as mining!

11


12/17


hotels! industries that degrade its use as habitats and movement corridorsby wild animals;"

." )otify and manage buffer =ones as areas to accommodate nistar needs:fodder! fuel! and timber! religious of local people and as dispersal habitats

for wild animals" 1repare and implement buffer =one management plansto meet the twin ob,ectives of buffer =ones?

i" +or /ildlife - 1roviding suitable habitats to the spill over populationof wild animals dispersing from the core"

ii" +or Focal people :who have paid are still paying the ma,or cost of conserving India's wildlife; 8 #ctively >anage buffer forests for meeting the nistar and cultural needs of forest dependent localpeople! and implementing participatory eco-developmentprogrammes with local people so that their dependence on theprotected area core =one of tiger reserve could be reduced

effectively" )o commercial forestry operations should ever beattempted in buffer =ones

3" Garner political courage and financial resources to support a well planneddevelopment intervention in villages that are dependent on non- 1#forests! dispersal areas and corridors to elicit support of local people inprotecting forests and reviving wea lin s in fragmented corridors"

A" >a e managers of territorial forests as responsible as the protected areamanagers and e9uip them to combat wildlife crime and protect habitatsand wildlife"

&" 1rovide funds to territorial divisions to implement prescriptions to enrichpotential habitats within forest areas under their ,urisdiction"

" >a es rules for disbursement of compensation for crop damage or for human in,ury death or cattle ills simpler and payment of compensationwithin a mandatory time limit" #llow compensation to villagers if wildanimal attac s on human beings or cattle occur up to a m within theboundary of a national par "

B" >a e it mandatory for all territorial forest managers to file a monthly returnof all reported! investigated! allowed! re,ected cases of crop damage!cattle ill and in,ury or death of human beings by wild animals to the(/F/ and the nearest protected area manager"

%" >a e systematic effort towards capacity building of field personnel!especially in areas of crime investigation! evidence gathering andprosecution"

12


13/17


$4" Institutionali=e the piecemeal efforts by individuals for rehabilitation of traditional hunter tribes : 1ardhis! 7ahelias >ongias!N";

/. 0nhance protection, augment management capabilities and enrichhabitats 'ithin and beyond protected area boundaries

" Each state should create a separate budget head for implementing site-specific ecodevelopment programmes and ma e si=able annualallocations so that meaningful interventions may be carried out withoutdepending on availability of financial resources from other developmentprogrammes" This would be critical as most effort of intersectoralintegration of development programmes have failed to create lastingimpact for these programmes always face financial crunch as they cover a

large number of villages"B" >a e managers of territorial forests as responsible as the protected area

managersD train and e9uip them to combat wildlife crime and protecthabitats and wildlife"

%" Reorient +orest wor ing plans prescriptions to include corridor revival!habitat improvement and protection of wildlife"

$4" 1rovide funds to territorial divisions to implement prescriptions to enrich

potential habitats within forest areas under their ,urisdiction"$$" Implement well conceived awareness programmes :that uses local dialect

and media and is down to earth; to win public support and participationof forestside communities for constitution of buffer =ones and in protectingdispersal areas and corridors! outside ma,or )atal areas :1#s;"

. $egulate and manage the emergent )hreat of (nplanned andmismanaged tourism gro'th 1

There is a globally emerging consensus that ecotourism see s to combineconservation! communities! and sustainable travel into one wor able whole"This happens when those who wish to implement and participate inecotourism activities adhere to the following ecotourism principles?

a" >inimi=ing negative impacts of tourism lin ed development and activitiesof visitors on the environment! ecology and local cultures"

b" 7uilding awareness and respect for environment and culture ensure thatall sta eholders contribute to it and gain positive experiences"

13


14/17


c" *eveloping methods and mechanisms to direct sustainable financialbenefits to local people and local economy

d" 1roviding financial benefits for conservation of natural resources on whichtourism depends"

e" Raising sensitivity to host countries' political! environmental! and social

ambiance"

)o ensure that the above principles are implemented on the ground -

$" Revisit and revise protected area's tourism management plans to ma ethem more action oriented over prescribed time frames to achieveob,ectives and less li e a set of policy guidelines! which seems to be thecase at present"

2" 1rovide a separate contingent of contractual s illed wor force to managetourism"

." *evelop appropriate mechanism to monitor populations! habitat conditionsand adverse impacts of tourism development and visitor activities withincore and buffer"

3" *evelop mechanism! provide s ills and mobili=e finances for empoweringE*(s to ta e up ,oint community based ecotourism ventures in the buffer"

A" *evelop mechanism and provide financial resources and s ill

development inputs to non- 1# forest managers in securing corridors!protecting tiger and its prey base within their respective territorial ,urisdictions"

&" *evelop standards for building design! energy conservation! water harvesting! recycling of grey water! appropriate disposal of solid and greenwaste! reducing emissions for hotels! resorts and eateries within andoutside 1#s" 7ring in legal instruments to enforce sustainability in ongoingthe unplanned and unhealthy mass tourism growth in the immediatevicinity of protected areas"

" Start new activities for tourists :tre ing! camping! boating! rafting and soon; only after identifying suitable areas" Suitability may be determined byloo ing at the li elihood of disturbance or threat to wild animals! habitatdegradation! visitor safety aspects and existing managerial capacity" #ndfor each new activity determine carrying capacity"

14


15/17


B" Strengthen protected area interpretation programme by improving thecapabilities of personal interpretive services li e 8 guiding! thematicpresentations and information services"

%" Enlarge the scope of 1ar Interpretation programme by starting outreach

services for local people :especially village children;! hoteliers! tour operators! public representatives! media persons and members of ,udiciary! police and administration and offer them an opportunity to viewthe protected area from a new perspective"

$4" se tourism in 1# as a supplemental tool for sustainable development of local communities by giving local people direct sta es in tourismenterprises and by giving Ecodevelopment committee a share of earningsfrom tourism as some of tiger reserves in >adhya 1radesh are doing bytransferring a portion of *evelopment fund :Li as )idhi of 1#s createdfrom Tourism related fees;"

$$" Include small scale infrastructure development for ecotourism as one of the forestry activity in the +(# and prescribe criteria standards for location! design and environmental safeguards"

. $e2uired Legislative hanges

$" #ppropriate amendments should be made in the /ildlife :1; #ct! $% 2 and

+(#! $%B4 to regulate land use in buffer areas of tiger reserves and ma eEI# mandatory for all resource degrading! commercial infrastructurepro,ects :>ining! 9uarrying! polluting industries! hotels! resorts and anyother such venture that prima facie are capable of disrupting local ecologyand local environments;" The State government must identify! map andnotify such areas that are critical for tiger metapopulations to continue andflourish"

2" #ppropriate amendments should be made in E1# 1anchayati Ra, #ct Sarai #ct to halt commercial constructions in critical wildlife dispersalareas and corridors! and also to set standards for building design!alternative energy use! regulation of ground water use and emissionslevels! recycling of grey water! disposal of solid and green waste by exitingas well as new hotels and dhabas :eateries; built in the buffer" The sameshould be made applicable to establishments owned by the Governmentsor 1anchyati Ra, Institutions"

." The 1anchayat Ra, #ct should be amended to empower gram Sabha toenforce an environmental cess on the otels and resorts that are using

15


16/17


local resources such as agricultural land! ground water and forests withoutpaying bac anything to the original guardians"

3" The State governments should ma e appropriate rules- under whichever act they may deem fit - to ensure that the hotels! resorts! eateries!

whether private or owned by government! purchase all their grocery!grains! pulses! dairy and meat products! building material from localmar ets and only in case where the demand exceeds the supply they mayapproach distant mar ets"

A" The /ildlife :1; #ct should be amended to enforce a conservation cess onoteliers resort eatery owners that ma e profit on a resource :+orests

and wildlife; managed by taxpayers money"&" Fegal provisions should be made in appropriate #cts! in all private or

government led ecotourism pro,ect! to ensure a tripartite agreementamong private sector! local people and the government agency to ensureemployment too local people! and benefit sharing among partners :private

sector! Government and local communities;

0. $ope in rivate ector, !3Os, onservationists, cientists,4eterinarians and #edia for onservation of )iger

$" The Tourism industry that ma es huge profits from protected areas mustbecome partners in supporting conservation programmes and local peoplefinancially and also through overt actions by adopting conservationmeasures in their businesses :location of facilities! design! water andenergy use! local employment! ecodevelopment inputs and so on"

2" )G6s! conservationists and scientists have a critical role to play in severalarenas such as capacity building of local people in ecodevelopment!alternative sustainable livelihoods including ecotourism! populationestimation exercises! and identification of critical tiger habitats andmapping corridors! wildlife health monitoring and forensics and asobservers and rectifiers" It should be the duty of the managers of protected areas and non-1# forests to create an atmosphere of inclusionidentify genuine )G6s and (onservationists and elicit their support invarious activities"

." The +orest department needs to adopt a wholly new stance to deal withthe media which! at present! is seen as an adversary and as a problem">ost adverse publicity emanates from lac of communication andsecondly from ignorance on the part of the media reporters and editorsabout wildlife and ecology" +orest departments should use their trainingschools for running short courses on various aspects of wildlifemanagement and practise a policy of open communication"

&m + day- dreaming5

16


17/17


Note: The views expressed above are solely of the author written entirely as hispersonal opinion on this issue.

17

Documents

Resurrecting TIGER (R) 3.11