Time to have a people-for-tigers movement……Sukalp Sharma
I believe we have succeeded with Project Tiger because we have put the tiger on an assured path to recovery. But yes, it has seen its ups and downs. I wont say we have failed in any way, but we could have done much better. We should have had buffer zones in the past itself, which would have taken care of man-tiger interface issues. We should have had plans for the areas, which link one tiger source site to another. We couldnt do that. And we should have secured inviolate space for tigers long ago, which we are in the process of doing now.
People have been raising doubts over the double sampling method for tiger census. There is no question of it being incorrect. It has been peer reviewed and is published in a reputed international journal. If somebody doesnt have the knowledge base to understand the methodology, I pity them. The old pugmark method cannot be compared with the double sampling method, which assesses spatial occupancy of tigers and is mapped in the GIS domain. It is much more accurate and gives realistic figures.
What is more worrying is the man-tiger conflict. The situation is grave and if not addressed, it will be very deleterious for tigers. You have cases of tigers moving out of Ranthambhore for want of a habitat, ultimately finding a refuge in Bharatpur. Then the unfortunate human deaths occur in areas like Dudhwa in Uttar Pradesh and the tiger gets branded as a man eater. These are all chance encounters, as buffers are not in place. You have land use, which is not sustainable ecologically from the tiger’s point of view. That is why we have been insisting upon states to notify buffer areas. On a quid-pro basis, you can then have some management with reciprocal commitment from the local communities so that they can alert you rather than pelt stones at a tiger who strays into the village.
Besides, intrusive tourism is also a big challenge and a great cause of worry. Im not saying that you stop tourism and we are for positive tourism where you dont compromise the well-being of wildlife. But at some places, it’s choking the animals. You disturb them inside their homes, you disturb them right outside by building lodges and resorts and throwing parties. Where will the poor animal go? Tourism should be ecologically sensible and shouldn’t be mass.
There should be meager facilities and infrastructure, which merges with local settings and on a priority basis, you should have a sensible traffic regulation. You cant let in 80 vehicles a day. These inviolate areas for tigers are conserved at a great cost. About 800-1,000 sq km of completely inviolate area is required to maintain a sustainable population of at least 20 breeding tigress to support 60-65 individual tigers in all by a 1:2 sex ratio. So, you have to phase out the tourism in the buffer areas on the fringes.
We have also managed to work closely with the states too. Of course, there have been problems, especially with fears in certain states that MoUs with us would encroach upon their domain, but those concerns are getting addressed. Its a slow process, but it is certainly getting better.
States are themselves empowered enough. All required laws and policies are in place. They actually lack in giving priority to wildlife. What more empowerment do they need to prevent mauling of tigers when they stray from the reserves? Rather than helping the forest department in catching the animal, people do a tamasha. Are authorities other than the forest department not responsible at all for wildlife or to contain such situation in their states? I wont say they are not doing anything, but they definitely need to give this sector its due priority.
People ask how can they help from where they are, like in a city far away from any tiger reserve. It’s a tough question to answer. Naturally, with everything state-owned and government-controlled, you cant expect everyone to have access to a range officer or a field director. But there are still several ways. Everyone can contribute to increasing the awareness. You have people joining nature clubs, launching signature campaigns, and undertaking good initiatives like ‘Kids for Tigers’. Then you have people writing letters to us, and becoming part of our committees. These are young people who aren’t from the government, but have a passion and are concerned about wildlife. Those wanting to contribute can convince others to not indulge in activities that may have a deleterious effect on forests and the habitat of the tiger. They can help by creating momentum against pollution in the reserves. People can also be vigilant with regard to illegal wildlife trade and can alert us if they observe something suspicious. This can be a great help in preventing poaching.
Dr Rajesh Gopal is member secretary, National Tiger Conservation Authority (erstwhile Project Tiger)