Project Tiger must take stronger strides

A co-existential approach that considers culture, economics, livelihoods and conservation is needed

It is a matter of pride for Karnataka that an international mega event to commemorate 50 years of Project Tiger is being held at Mysuru between April 9–11, 2023. The programme will see the participation of global leaders, national and international dignitaries, tiger reserve managers, other conservation practitioners, scientists, wildlife experts, and others. The latest All India Tiger Estimation report is also likely to be released by the prime minister during the event.

The tiger population in the country, which was on the brink of extinction when Project Tiger was launched in 1973, now stands at around 3,000, accounting for more than 70 per cent of the global wild tiger population; indications are that this will continue to rise. The success of the programme can be further gauged by the fact that the population has doubled in the last 12 years, four years ahead of its target (TX2 St Petersburg’s declaration on tiger conservation for doubling the tiger population by 2022). That the number of tiger reserves has gone up from 9 to 54 in 18 tiger states, encompassing an area of 75000 sq km compared to 18278 sq km in nine states at the beginning of the project, shows India’s commitment to conservation and resolve to preserve its national heritage.

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But the journey has not been smooth, and some of the problems, chiefly poaching that saw tiger populations being wiped out in Panna, Sariska, Valmiki, and Nagarajun Sagar (since restored thanks to translocation and other conducive measures, although Dampa in Mizoram, Buxa in West Bengal, and
Palamu in Bihar still face the restoration challenge), continue to plague the conservation efforts.

The Forest Rights Act 2006 is another source of conflict and the perpetual habitat rights issue with people living in the surrounding areas has resulted in more than 1,000 such cases with fatalities and injuries on both sides.

Protection of tigers outside reserves is another big challenge, as some 29 per cent of the tigers are found in these areas. The proposed landscape and corridor management approach will go a long way in addressing the issues above. A proper multi-stakeholder consultative planning strategy would significantly add to the ever-increasing challenges to conservation likely to be faced by the managers due to the sustained rise in the tiger population. Unbridled tourism in and around tiger ranges is another major problem that needs to be effectively controlled.

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For sustainable tiger management, it would be prudent to adopt an environment, social, and governance (ESG) approach. Speaking of environmental aspects, although most of the tiger areas have benefited in terms of an enhanced biodiversity index, certain inherent ecological issues need long-term planning, like the clearing of invasive alien species (like lantana, and parthenium, and monoculture plantations of teak, eucalyptus, and acacias) to free the space for the growth of much-needed grass, bamboo, and other fodder trees as well as to reduce fire hazards—the two threats to our protected areas. More over, these monoculture trees also contribute in a big way to the human-animal conflict as the animals are forced to stray out in search of food and shelter. At a rough estimate, almost 30 per cent of the critical PAs in tiger range are covered by monoculture trees.

The social aspect of tiger management invloves the tiger vs. tribal debate. Those advocating that only tigers should live in these PAs may be forgiven for their passion, but policymakers have realised the importance of a co-existential approach in which culture, economics, livelihood, and conservation are not mutually exclusive. This has been demonstrated in many success stories, like in Arunachal Pradesh, where some tribes consider the tiger an elder brother, or even in Sudarbans, where tigers, though feared, are also revered. It is good that ecotourism has given considerable stakes to locals and tribals in protecting the tiger, but it needs to be community-oriented with firm checks on commercial operators.

Lastly, the governing aspect needs improvement. The wages and salaries of the front-line staff are often delayed, causing hardships for them and affecting their morale. Besides, skill building of the staff, particularly, in intelligence gathering, supply and training in use of arms and other modern basic technological tools, proper investigation of suspected tiger death cases are a few of the crucial governance areas that need attention.

India is an active participant in global tiger conservation programmes, including the Global Tiger Initiative of World Bank and Global Tiger Forum, with a significant monetary contribution (of the order of some $50 million) for tiger conservation, including the relocation of villagers. This international cooperation needs to be strengthened.

(The writer is a former IFS officer and Chief Wild Life Warden.)