Tiger conservation strategies in disarray

On the eve of the third Asia Ministerial Conference inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently in New Delhi, strategies adopted by each Tiger Range Countries were reviewed. Sounding like a staunch conservationist, the prime minister said that tackling poaching of wild animals and illegal trade of their body parts is a challenge before the member countries. 

Modi also expressed concern over the loss of forests once occupied by tigers. This is important in the light of St Petersburg’s Declaration of 2010, where the member countries resolved to double their tiger numbers by 2022. This is also termed as the Tx2 goal.

In this regard, I would like to analyse the strategies adopted by the Karnataka government in achieving the Tx2 goal. Experience shows that tigers prosper in forests which are free from human and cattle population.

The social dynamics suggest that 800 to 1200 sqkm of inviolate forests with adequate prey density, can support 25 breeding tigresses with a total tiger population of 70 to 75. If these forests have corridors for their dispersal, the tiger population would be viable. Even if there are one or two poachings a year, this population would be stable. With this in the background, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) sent advisories to states for relocating villagers in tiger reserves.

Among the 5 tiger reserves in Karnataka, only Bandipur and Bhadra are free from villages. Relocation of tribal Hadis from the Nagarhole Tiger Reserve is going on at a very slow pace. Not even 25% of relocation has been completed in the last 10 years. All relocation works in Nagarhole is funded by the NTCA. The claimed reasons for slow progress are paucity of funds and obstruction by tribal NGOs.

In last 2 years, 37 villages from Satpura Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh have been relocated and a large part of the tiger reserve has become inviolate. The entire relocation was funded by the Madhya Pradesh government. The prey and predator are bouncing back there. The reserve was also honoured by the prime minister recently.

It is high time that the Karnataka government steps up its relocation programme in Nagarhole, Anshi Dandeli and BRT Tiger Reserves.

Karnataka had 6,500 sqkm protected area network. In 2011-12, the Forest Department proposed to double it. However, the proposal for crucial areas like Pushpgiri sanctuary, Kudremukh National Park and Bhadra sanctuary met with a road block as peoples’ representative objected to it. Yet, we succeeded in bringing the protected area network to 9,500 sqkm.

With more areas under sanctuaries and national parks, some can be notified as tiger reserves.

People vs tigers
The Karnataka government once moved to notify Kudremukh National Park as a tiger reserve. This proposal was accepted by the Central government. But as soon as the peoples’ representatives objected, the state government decided to drop the proposal.

There are several enclosures in this national park which are inhabited by people and cattle. The park is even disturbed by left wing extremism. Many families from the enclosures voluntarily want to be relocated outside. From 2010-11 onwards, the state has been providing annually Rs 2.5 crore for relocation of families from these enclosures and families with lower valuation are being relocated. We have lost the opportunity of a large-scale relocation, which could have been funded by the NTCA.

Other areas where tiger numbers have gone up are M M Hills Sanctuary and Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. Both state and Central government officials are willing to declare them as tiger reserves. But we do not know the reaction of public representatives, yet.

In his inaugural speech, at the Asia Ministerial Conference, Modi announced several measures for tiger conservation – increasing the annual budget for tiger protection from Rs 185 crore to Rs 380 crore; cooperation with other Tiger Range countries to curb illegal trade of body parts and strengthen anti-poaching operations.

He said that forest and wildlife conservation are inseparable and is always an important mitigation measure for climate change. And that, tiger conservation is not a choice but is imperative.

In such an environment, it is for forest officers to stride hard and take the protection of forests and wildlife to greater height. It will help in averting or minimising the affects of natural disasters.

(The writer is Retd Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Head of Forest Force, Karnataka)