bi-monthly outreach journal of national … · tiger assessment done once in four years by ntca, in...

LA

ND

MA

RK

S

EV

ALU

AT

ION

AC

HIE

VEM

EN

TS

INIT

IAT

IVES

ST

RA

TEG

IES

PER

SPEC

TIV

ES

BI-MONTHLY OUTREACH JOURNAL OF NATIONAL TIGER CONSERVATION AUTHORITY

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

Volume 2 Issue 6 Sept-Oct 2011

FUND RELEASE TO TIGER RESERVES(as on 31.10.2011) All figures in Rs Lakh

Nagarjunasagar Andhra Pradesh 46.73 0 0 46.73

Namdapha Arunachal 21.3746 0 0 21.3746

Pakke Arunachal 12.308 0.2195 161.7857 174.3132

Kaziranga Assam 0 8.598 426.9168 435.5148

Manas Assam 0 0 479.62 479.62

Nameri Assam 0 38.592 40.972 79.564

Valmiki Bihar 0 44.4786 172.193 216.6716

Achanakmar Chhattisgarh 0 0 233.776 233.776

Indravati Chhattisgarh 0 0 106.13 106.13

Udanti-Sitanadi Chhattisgarh 0 52.29 102.01 154.3

Palamau Jharkhand 0 1.5375 156.3465 157.884

Bandipur Karnataka 229.843 12.11 213.9504 455.9034

Bhadra Karnataka 0 0.007 215.8822 215.8892

Dandeli Anshi Karnataka 45.01 0 159.204 204.214

Nagarhole Karnataka 35.722 0 154.296 190.018

BRT Karnataka 0 0 118.48 118.48

Periyar Kerala 0 1.13 211.37 212.5

Parambikulam Kerala 0 4.25 133.71 137.96

Bandhavgarh MP 0 53.885 243.247 297.132

Kanha MP 0 17.71 361.67 379.38

Panna MP 0 28.402 284.7956 313.1976

Pench MP 0 40.09 191.53 231.62

Sanjay Dubri MP 0 33.983 92.673 126.656

Satpura MP 0 19.88 310.8056 330.6856

Melghat Maharashtra 0 44.215 234.389 278.604

Pench Maharashtra 13.792 0 280.818 294.61

Tadoba-Andhari Maharashtra 330.12 74.2025 156.4135 560.736

Sahyadri Maharashtra 0 0 47.396 47.396

Dampa Mizoram 0 0 225.288 225.288

Satkosia Orissa 0 8.792 118.408 127.2

Similipal Orissa 33.43 33.43194 436.6681 503.53004

Ranthambhore Rajasthan 2561.965 26.985 0 2588.95

Sariska Rajasthan 1552.37 0 0 1552.37

KMTR Tamil Nadu 25.3 25.324 149.128 199.752

Mudumalai Tamil Nadu 0 0.0086 191.583 191.5916

Anamalai Tamil Nadu 31.833 0 204.556 236.389

Corbett Uttarakhand 0 2.095 319.389 321.484

Buxa West Bengal 0 5.66 82.66 88.32

Sunderbans West Bengal 0 168.46 0 168.46

Dudhwa Uttar Pradesh 46.064 97.0265 337.4975 480.588

STATEREVALIDATEDFOR 2011-12

UNSPENTBALANCE

RELEASE IN2011-12 TOTAL

TIGERRESERVE

TOTAL 4985.8616 843.36314 7355.5579 13184.78264

THE Central Indian Landscape is crucialfor in situ tiger conservation in the coun-try. This encompasses tiger bearingforests of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,Jharkhand, Maharashtra, parts of Rajas-than, Odisha and Andhra, with 19 tiger

reserves and other protected areas. The status of tigers,co-predators and prey as assessed in 2010 is covered inthis issue. The tiger population in the landscape thrivesin important source areas like Kanha, Pench,Bandhavgarh, Ranthambhore, Nagarjunasagar Srisailamand Similipal, besides interspersed protected areas andforests. As the largest tiger occupied landscape in thecountry, it has tremendous conservation significance.

The Phase-IV monitoring is an important initiativewhich would complement the ‘snap-shot’ country-leveltiger assessment done once in four years by NTCA, incollaboration with the Wildlife Institute of India, tigerStates and outside experts. Under Phase-IV, the continu-ous monitoring of tigers and its prey would be done by

field managers in their respective areas. The objective isto facilitate field managers to get a minimum numberof tigers in a reserve, besides forecast/alert vis-a-vistheir spatial presence/absence, while permitting a biolo-gist to generate data for in-depth statistical analysis,including statistically explicit mark recapture analysisusing SPACECAP/DENSITY and DISTANCE for prey den-sity estimates.

The second round of independent ManagementEffectiveness Evaluation for tiger reserves has been car-ried out. The outcome has been communicated tostates and is also being used in firming up the tigerconservation plan of each reserve.

This issue also carries an interesting write-up from afield manager on tackling disasters in protected areas.The ecological impact relating to the North Koel Dam inPalamau tiger reserve has also been highlighted.

Dr Rajesh Gopal Member-Secretary, NTCA

EDITOR Dr Rajesh Gopal

EDITORIALCOORDINATORS P YADAV

CONTENTCOORDINATORInder MS Kathuria

FEEDBACK Annexe No 5 Bikaner HouseShahjahan Road New Delhi

[email protected]

Cover photo MP Ecotourism Board

n o t e f r o m t h e e d i t o r

Volume 2Issue 6

Sept-Oct2011

EvaluationCentralIndiaLandscapePg 4-8

ImpactNorth KoelDam &PalamauReserveP 17-18

MEEStock-takingat reserveclustersPg 10-13

DisasterManagement

How tosecure

protectedareas

P 14-16

BI-MONTHLY OUTREACH JOURNAL OF NATIONAL TIGER CONSERVATION AUTHORITY

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

4 | Sept-Oct 2011 | STRIPES

The Central Indian land-scape is bounded by theAravalli Range in the north-

west, the Satpura Range in thesouth, Chota Nagpur plateau inthe north east and the Odishahills in the south-east. Withinthis zone are located several hillranges with elevations rangingbetween 200 m and 1000 m suchas the Vindhyas, Mahadeo Hillsand the Maikal Range. Much ofthe region is forested since thehills and plateaus with patches ofshallow infertile soils do not per-mit extensive cultivation.

This landscape covers a vastarea encompassing the States ofMadhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh,Jharkhand and parts ofRajasthan, Maharashtra, Odishaand Andhra Pradesh. The westernparts of Maharashtra are a part ofthe Western Ghats landscape,while parts of Andhra Pradeshform the Eastern Ghats land-scape. However, for the sake ofconvenience and ease of applyingconservation policy and manage-ment actions, these States are notsplit but discussed as part of theCentral Indian Landscape.

With 19 Tiger Reserves andseveral other protected areas,4.1% (Qureshi et al. 2006) of this area is under forest covermarked by rapid conversion offorests to other land-uses suchas agriculture and mining operations.

Within this landscape are locat-ed smaller sub-units of TRs thatincorporate one or severalProtected Areas that may or maynot have the tiger, yet are essen-tial for long term persistence ofthe species in the region. Theseinclude:

STATUS OF TIGERS, CO-PREDATORS AND PREY IN INDIA, 2011

EVALUATION

landscape

STRIPES | Sept-Oct 2011 | 5

a) Sariska: Within the Aravallisof Rajasthan is located theSariska Tiger Reserve. The isolat-ed nature and inadequate protec-tion levels in the Reserve led tolocal extinction of the tiger in2004 (Narain et al. 2005).Thereafter, five tigers have beenreintroduced in Sariska with thehope of re-establishing a breed-ing population of the species infuture.

b) Ranthambhore-Kuno-Shivpuri landscape: TheRanthambhore Tiger Reserve inRajasthan is connected to theKuno-Palpur landscape in MadhyaPradesh through KeladeviWildlife Sanctuary and forestpatches in the north-east. Thislandscape unit has over 2500km2 of potential tiger habitatwithin a forested area of over4000 km2.

c) Panna: This Tiger Reserve islocated in the Vindhya Range andformed a part of theBandhavgarh-Sanjay-GuruGhasidas-Palamau complex.However, in recent years, Pannahas been isolated and forms partof a linear east-west forestedpatch of about 2000 km2. Thissite has also experienced extinc-tion of the tiger and subsequent-ly five tigers have been reintro-duced of which two tigresseshave littered. In 2011, a success-ful introduction was also done ofa hand reared tigress that wastaught to hunt wild prey.

d) Bandhavgarh-Sanjay-GuruGhasidas-Palamau: This zonecomprises of the BandhavgarhTiger Reserve located betweenthe Vindhyas and Satpuras ofMadhya Pradesh with a feebleconnectivity to Sanjay-DubriTiger Reserve in Sidhi district ofwhich the proposed GuruGhasidas National Park inChhattisgarh was a part in theundivided state of MadhyaPradesh. To the north-east, thiszone is connected to PalamauTiger Reserve of Jharkhand. Thisforested landscape is over

13,000 km2 and with good man-agement has the potential of har-bouring a viable tiger populationalong with populations of otherwildlife of the region.

e) Kanha-Pench-Achanakmar:Located within the central part ofthis landscape these TigerReserves span across the Statesof Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtraand Chhattisgarh. The forestedlandscape covers over 20,000km2 and has two major sourcepopulations of tigers (Kanha andPench Tiger Reserves) existing asa metapopulation.

f) Pench-Satpura-Melghat:While Melghat Tiger Reserve islocated on the Gawilgarh Ridgeof the Satpuras on the MadhyaPradesh-Maharashtra border, theSatpura Tiger Reserve is locatedwithin the same Range to thenorth-east. Melghat-Satpura land-scape covers over 12,700 km2 offorested habitat and exists as a

metapopulation. Connectivitybetween Satpura and Pench TigerReserves is through steppingstone forest patches.

g) Nagzira-Indravati: This unitspans the insurgency prone areasof Maharashtra and Chhattisgarhcovering some of the best forestsof this landscape in Bastar. Someof the important Protected Areasin this sub-unit are Navegaon,Tadoba Tiger Reserve andBhandara Forest Division. Theforested landscape covers over34,000 km2 and has the potentialto sustain viable populations ofendangered species includingthose of wild buffalo and tigers.

h) Isolated forests of Simlipaland Nagarjunasagar-Srisailam:Both these Tiger Reserves extendover large areas (3800 and 8000km2 respectively) of tiger habi-tat, located along the EasternGhats in Odisha and AndhraPradesh. However, the presence

Anthropogenic disturbances such as livestockgrazing, forest produce collection and the network of roads and railways are major threatsto tiger conservation along with other seeminglybenign activities like uncontrolled tourism

of left wing extremism hasundermined conservation effortsin this region.

Apart from the existing 17Tiger Reserves in this zone, fournew areas have been proposed asTiger Reserves: Ratapani inMadhya Pradesh, Sunabeda inOdisha, Mukundara Hills (com-prising of Darrah, Jawaharsagarand Chambal Wildlife Sanctuary)in Rajasthan and Kawal WildlifeSanctuary in Andhra Pradesh.Proposals have also been invitedfrom Bor, Nagzira-NavegaonWildlife Sanctuaries and GuruGhasidas National Park to be con-sidered as Tiger Reserves.

As per Rodgers and Panwar(1988) this landscape is coveredby several bio-geographic zones,which include Semi-Arid (Punjabplains and Gujarat Rajputana),Western Ghats (Malabar plainsand Western Ghats mountains),Deccan Peninsula (CentralHighlands, Chota-Nagpur, Eastern Highlands, Centralplateau and Deccan South) andGangetic Plains (Upper Gangeticplains and Lower Gangetic plains) and Coasts (East coastand West coast).

While this landscape hasamongst the finest tiger habitatsof India, it also is a home toIndia’s largest scheduled tribepopulation most of who areamongst the poorest in the coun-try. Incidentally, this is also thearea with the highest concentra-tion of minerals and thus mininginterests (Narain et al. 2005).This makes conservation a majorchallenge.

CONSERVATION SIGNIFICANCEApart from being the largest

tiger occupied landscape in the country and having thelargest number of tigers, thislandscape also encompasses sev-eral biosphere reserves. Of thethree biosphere reserves viz.,Simlipal, Pachmarhi andAchanakmar-Amarkantak, theformer two are also a part of the

UNESCO’s Man and BiosphereProgramme (MAB).

In terms of tiger conservation,this area has been recognised asimportant with four level I tigerconservation units (TCUs), five atlevel II, 24 at level III and threesites as priority survey sites.Johnsingh and Goyal (2005)recognised the Satpura-Kanha-Bandhavgarh TCU as the secondbest in the country with 4000sqkm protected area, comprisingof Bori, Satpura, Pachmarhi,Pench, Kanha and BandhavgarhProtected Areas with a popula-tion of about 350 tigers andcapable of sustaining up to 500 tigers.

The Palamau-Kodarma andIndravati-Kangerghati-Papikondalandscapes despite having vasttiger habitats of 40,000 and30,000 sqkm (Jhala et al. 2008)respectively are affected by leftwing extremism, high livestockgrazing, forest fires and poach-ing which makes tiger conserva-tion challenging.

Similar issues exist also inNagarjunasagar-Srisailam andSimlipal-Hadgarh landscapeseven though they are very pro-ductive areas.

CONSERVATION STATUSThis zone comprises of the

most threatened habitats of thetiger in India. The species hasalready faced extinction fromtwo Protected Areas due topoaching while the existence ofhigh levels of human-tiger con-flict around other sites likeRanthambhore and Tadoba-Andhari jeopardise tigers atthese sites as well.

Anthropogenic disturbancessuch as livestock grazing, NTFPcollection and the network ofroads and railways are majorthreats to tiger conservationalong with other seeminglybenign activities like uncon-

trolled tourism. Fragmentation ofhabitat due to developmentalactivities and those that add tothe state ex-chequer such as min-ing are major threats.

Jhala et al. (2008) identifiedfour important landscapes in thisregion. These include Kanha-Pench, Satpura-Melghat, Sanjay-Palamau and Navegaon-Indravati.To strengthen such areas andreduce the impact of human dis-turbance in the tiger breedingzones (core areas of tigerreserves) would be necessary to


S P Yadav

protect the biodiversity of theseregions while reducing cases ofhuman-wildlife conflict.

Several conservation organisa-tions have been active in thiszone, promoting research, con-servation and spreading aware-ness regarding biodiversity con-servation such as the SatpudaFoundation, Tiger Watch, WildlifeConservation Trust, WWF andWildlife Trust of India. WildlifeTrust of India has also developeda wild buffalo monitoring pro-gramme for the last remainingindividuals in Bastar region.Similarly, several academicorganisations such as IndianInstitute of Forest Management(IIFM) Bhopal, Tropical ForestResearch Institute (TFRI)Jabalpur, Zoological Survey ofIndia (ZSI) and Botanical Surveyof India (BSI) have been conduct-ing studies in the region. The role of such local organisa-tions is important in understand-ing and safeguarding these tigerlandscapes.

TIGER OCCUPANCY Out of 5553 (10x10 km) grids

within potential tiger habitat thatwere surveyed, tiger signs weredetected in 464 grids giving anaive estimate of tiger occupancyat 8.36%.

Of the total available tigerhabitat covering 3,38,378 sqkmin these grids, 38,056 sqkm con-stituting 11.2% of the total habi-tat was occupied by tigers.

The major determinants oftiger occupancy in the landscapewere:

a) amount of undisturbed forest area (had positive coefficients), Tiger habitat in the Central Indian Landscapeshowing

b) encounters of large prey andwild dung density (had positivecoefficients) probability of tigeroccupancy modelled by incorpo-rating

c) human disturbance indexedby distance to major roads,

human and livestock trails imper-fect detections as well as covari-ates of landscape and livestockdung density (negative effect ontiger occupancy) characteristics,human disturbance, and preyavailability. Least cost corridorpathways re-aligned on high resolution satellite image are also shown.

The delta AIC for the top twomodels was less than two.Therefore, we used the modelaveraged coefficients, based onAIC weights of these two modelsto estimate parameters.

The tiger occupancy estimatefrom the model averaged coeffi-cients was 9.48 (se 0.17)%. Withhigh detection probability (0.34)and number of surveys (5 kilome-tre spatially independent walks)

ranging from 3 to 30 (proportion-al to the amount of tiger habitatin a grid) the increment in tigeroccupancy (from 8.36 % naiveestimate to 9.48 %) by incorpo-rating imperfect detections andcovariates was small. However,the coefficients of covariatesused in the models providedgood insight into factors thatinfluence tiger occupancy in thislandscape. The occupancy proba-

bility of a grid habitat was inter-preted as a quantitative estimateof habitat suitability for tigersand was a useful tool for map-ping source and corridor habitats.

TIGER POPULATION EXTENTS AND ABUNDANCE

Mark-recapture population anddensity estimates of tigers basedon camera-trapping wereobtained for Ranthambhore,Satpura, Pench, Kanha, Supkhar,Bandhavgarh, Achanakmar,Melghat, Tadoba and SrisailamTiger Reserves. Tiger densities inthis landscape ranged between 1to 16 tigers per 100 km2. Non-camera trapped grids with tigeroccupancy were assigned to tigerdensity categories using ordinallogistic regression.

Based on contiguous occupiedgrids, 23 separate tiger popula-tions could be identified withinthe Central Indian Landscapewith some scattered tiger pres-ence also recorded in-betweensome major populations.

Eight major tiger populationswith over 30 adult individualsand several smaller populationswere identified in the landscape.

Sporadic occurrences of tigers


S P Yadav

were also recorded in the forestsof Indore and Dewas, Jabalpur,Nauradehi and Damoh, Kuno-Sheopur and Madhav, Adilabadand Khammam, and within inter-vening forest corridors betweenKanha and Pench, Kanha andAchanakmar, and within forestedpockets across Odisha. Tigerpopulations that were extermi-nated from Sariska and Pannahave been re-established by rein-troductions. Two reintroducedtigresses have already litteredwithin Panna. Indravati and parts of Chhattisgarh andJharkhand could not be assesseddue to Maoist insurgency within these states.

CORRIDORS, CONNECTIVITY & CONSERVATION

The Central Indian landscapecurrently has three functionalmetapopulations which include:

a) Pench-Kanha-Achanakmar b) Satpura-Melghat c) Tadoba-Chandrapur Four more landscapes have the

potential to harbour tigermetapopulations. However, theircorridor connectivity has becomefragile requiring intervention ofpolicy and restoration for func-tioning as effective wildlife corri-dors. These include:

a) Pench–Satpura b) Bandhavgarh–Sanjay–Dubri-

Guru Ghasidas c) Ranthambhore-

Kailadevi–Kuno–Sheopur d) Tadoba-Chandrapur-

Garhcharoli-Adilabad-Indravati Due to the small size of many

source tiger populations in theCentral Indian landscape, theirlong term future is bleak unlessthey are managed as functionalmetapopulations.

Therefore, developing a policyto legally ensure that the habitatmatrix within these corridorsremains friendly for movementof wildlife is essential. Herein,using probability of tiger occu-pancy as a base layer along withtiger habitat connectivitydefined at a high resolution, we

have identified potential corri-dors using “least cost pathway”analysis and Circuitscape in a GISdomain. Many of these corridorsare known to be used by tigersand other wildlife such as theKanha-Pench corridor.

Others, such as the Satpura-Pench corridor, need further fieldverification to define their exactboundaries on the ground, so asto minimize impacts on local andnational economies while maxi-mizing wildlife values.

The loss of peripheral tigeroccupancy is a major conserva-tion concern within this land-scape where tiger poaching hadeliminated two populations(Sariska and Panna) in the recent past (Check 2006; Gopal et al. 2010).

Good accessibility within tigerforests, prevalence of tribesknown for their traditional hunt-ing skills, combined with highpoverty levels makes this land-scape of conflicts vulnerable tocommercial poaching.


S P Yadav

The Member Secretary of NTCAinitiated the discussion by high-lighting decisions taken in acountry-level meeting of wildlifewardens and field directors inMay 2011.

Dr K. Ullas Karanth, Member,NTCA and director of Centre forWildlife Studies made a presenta-tion on the minimum standardsrelating to the proposed monitor-ing protocol, while highlightingthe country/state-level areadetails and cost implicationsbased on minimum standardsidentified by NTCA earlier.

The deliberations focused onthe following:

Consensus on monitoring protocol: The following mini-mum standards for monitoringwere agreed upon:Tiger monitoring Camera density: 25 double-sided cameras per 100 sqkmSampling effort: 1000 trap-nights/100 sqkmMinimum area of 400 sqkm orentire Tiger Reserve, if area issmaller than 400 sqkmClosure period = 45 to 90days – (site specific)Prey monitoring | Systematicline transect sampling with ran-dom start, consisting 30 or morespatial replicates and 6-8 tempo-ral replicates

Fund requirement: The follow-ing cost projection for countrylevel source monitoring wasmade by Dr Karanth, based onarea estimates presented in earli-er NTCA and WII Reports:Total source area to be moni-tored = 40, 500 sqkm Annual operating costs per10,000sqkm = 2.6 crore

Total costs: 10.7 crore annual+ Rs 15.4 crore capital = Rs 26.1crore Line transect costs: Rs 5.6crore annual + Rs 1 crore capital= Rs 6.6 crore(One time investment for 5 years)

Ravi Singh, Secretary General,WWF, stated that his organisationmay be able to provide around Rs1 crore per annum. Dr Karanthsaid his organisation would con-tribute around Rs. 1.5 crore perannum in the form of capitalequipment needed and technicalsupervisory capacity. Dr M.Firoz Ahmed, Member,NTCA from Aaranyakand Dr A.K. Singhfrom WTIinformed of sup-port to the tuneof Rs. 50 lakhper annum fromtheir organisa-tions. TheMember Secretary,NTCA stated that afinal view on the costimplication would be takenafter deliberating with the stateauthorities.

Roles / responsibilities of NTCA/ WII / States / Outside ExpertsNTCA : Providing funding sup-port (100%) for the Phase-IV mon-itoring to tiger states, besidestechnical guidance in collabora-tion with the Wildlife Institute ofIndia, while providing a formatfor agreed actions between Stateand outside experts.

WII: Collaborating with NTCA fortechnical guidance, capacitybuilding through national /regional workshops, besidesmaking available study material.

Tiger states : implementing thePhase-IV monitoring and comply-ing with the reporting require-ments, identifying outsideexperts, pooling of resources,issuing necessary advisories,organizing state-level capacitybuilding initiatives.

Outside experts: Participatingand collaborating with tiger states.Organizing national, regionalcapacity building workshops andproviding study material. NTCA incollaboration with the Wildlife

Institute of India and outsideexperts would organize

the national / regionalworkshops, besidesproviding studymaterial inEnglish. DrKaranth volun-teered to circulatea draft of study

materials andguidelines.

Selection of outsideexperts: It was decided that

the state authorities should berequested for providing a panelof such experts/organizations.

Timeline, grid finalization forcamera trapping etc: It wasdecided that the Phase-IV wouldcommence from 1st November,2011. After discussion with thestate authorities, the reserve/site-wise grids vis-à-vis cameratrap locations would be finalized.The progress on the processwould be reported by states afterevery three months, besides anannual report on the entire moni-toring outcome. It was alsodecided that the outcome shouldbe placed in the public domain.


Phase IV Tiger MonitoringSummary Record of Deliberations Held On Sept 7, 2011 at NTCA, Delhi

GEARING UP


Protected Areas (PAs) facemany challenges to theirintegrity which, unless

addressed can undermine thevery objectives for which theywere established. In recent yearsthere has been a growing concernamong PA professionals and thepublic that many protected areasare failing to achieve their objec-tives and, in some cases, areactually losing the values forwhich they were established(Hockings et al 2008).

Management effectivenessevaluation is the assessment ofhow well protected areas arebeing managed. But as importantas reporting requirements are,the primary role of assessmentof management effectiveness isto assist managers work as effec-tively as possible.

CORBETT Strengths | High profile, signifi-cant patronage and huge tourismrevenues. The reserve has a welldeveloped and supported protec-tion plan and force so it canafford to look at conservationplanning beyond its immediateboundary. Its location within theTerai Arc landscape makes it apart of significant tiger conserva-tion landscape which can supporta large enough population whichwill be genetically viable for long-term conservation.

Weaknesses | The park and itsbuffer still face anthropogenic

pressures from settlements andgujar deras. Human wildlife con-flict is significant in and aroundthe buffer. There is little or noinvolvement of stakeholder in thePA or in its tourism revenue. Staffstrength needs to be upgraded.

Too much time and manpower isinvolved in managing tourism andtourist facilities.

Actionable Points | A systematicplan is needed to addresshuman-wildlife conflict in the

MANAGEMENT EFFECTIVENESS & EVALUATION

Stocktaking atReserve Clusters

MP Ecotourism Board


buffer. There is great opportuni-ty to divert a significant part ofthe tourist revenue towards com-munity based eco-tourism. TheGujar Deras (181 families) mustbe resettled from the core areaand biotic pressures created by21 villages and 15 Gujar Deras inthe buffer must be addressed.

DUDHWAStrengths | This TR is the onlyrepresentative of Terai-bhabar bio-geographic subdivision of theUpper Gangetic Plains. It is alsounique in supporting 5 of 7 deerspecies found in India and alsoendangered species like the Bengalflorican and hispid hare. The greatIndian one horned rhino has beensuccessfully re-introduced.

Weaknesses | There are settle-ments in the core and bufferwhich need to be resettled. Thethree PAs (core areas) are frag-mented and separated by agricul-tural lands and rivers with someencroachments in the corridorareas. The porous internationalborder with Nepal brings in prob-lems of illegal entry, poaching

and wildlife trade. Human-wildlife conflict is a major prob-lem. Roads and a railway linepose problems for wildlife move-ment and also increased mortali-ty due to accidents. Staff short-ages due to vacancies and alsoinsufficient sanctioned staffstrength are a problem.

Actionable Points | There is aneed to secure the TR by reset-tling the village within the coreand also focus on ensuring thatthe connectivity between thethree PAs besides clearingencroachments in the corridorareas. Study needed to assess theimpact of the road, railway line.Tourism must be developed toaddress livelihood needs of localcommunities.

RANTHAMBOREStrengths | Extremely good pro-tection strategy that involvesmultiple departments, one of thefew TRs in the country to do so.Response of revenue and policedepartments is very good as isNGO support and involvement.Lessons learned from experimen-

tal translocation of tigers fromhere to Sariska will form thebasis of meta population man-agement in future. Very high pro-file, attracts a lot of tourists.Locals benefiting and supportiveof the TR. Tourism is almostentirely managed by private andcommunity based facilities, leav-ing the TR staff free for protec-tion and management duties.

Weaknesses | As this TR largelyrepresents an insular populationit may not be able to support agenetically viable populationsuitable for long-term conserva-tion. Large number of settle-ments within the core and thesealong with villages on the periph-ery exert huge biotic pressure.

Actionable Points | Resettlementof villages will secure undistur-bed habitat. Human-wildlife con-flict must be addressed. Commu-nities must be more direct bene-ficiaries from tourism.

MELGHATStrengths | This is a large TR andhas great potential for long-term

Strengths | The tiger reservehas a limited window of time inwhich it will remain in the fore-front of conservation effort duethe loss and subsequent reintro-duction of tigers. It needs toleverage this period to optimizeall aspects of managementincluding resettlement of vil-lages, regulation of anthro-pogenic pressures, engaging thelocal communities and bringingin scientific conservation planning. The tigerreserve staff are not involved in tourism andfocused on protection and management.

Weaknesses | The TR is highly fragmented andextremely poorly shaped which ensures that thebulk of the TR is exposed to anthropogenic pres-sures. The roads that cut through the TR and reli-gious tourism add significantly to the problem.Cattle grazing is widespread and there are wild-

fires in the dry season. There ismining activity just outside theTR, which has not local com-munities. Monitoring of human-wildlife conflict is poor. Publicparticipation and improvementof livelihood through EDCs isminimal so there is not muchpublic support for conserva-tion. There are limited trained(wildlife) staff.

Actionable Points | There is need to rationalizethe TR boundaries as fringe projections take dis-proportionately more resources and time to pro-tect and manage. Resettlement will be a challengeespecially as land prices are high. Poaching wasthe reason for the local extinction of tigers andalthough protection has improved there is needto strengthen this effort as other problems likegrazing still remain. There is a need to increasestaff strength, capacity and infrastructure.

SARISKA


conservation. The protectionmechanism has been revampedand is very systematic despiteshortage of trained and good staff;management has motivated andgot the staff organized into aneffective patrolling unit. Villageswithin the core are willing toresettle outside. The TR is (in theprocess of) handing over tourismmanagement to the communitiesand this will significantly help inimproving livelihoods and thusincreasing public support. Thiswill also allow departmental staffto focus on protection and man-agement. Malnutrition deaths inthe largely tribal area have gener-ated significant government fund-ing of tribal schemes thus makingthem less dependent on the TR.

Weaknesses | There are a largenumber of villages in the TR andthese need to be resettled toreduce biotic pressure. The roadnetwork within the TR will seereduced traffic if the villages areresettled outside the park.However, there will be some traf-fic as these roads also connectareas outside the TR and addi-tional mitigation efforts areneeded to ensure these roads arenot a serious threat to the TR.Inadequate staff strength andlack of wildlife training are aproblem. Human wildlife conflict

is a significant problem andneeds to be addressed.

Actionable Points | Resettlementof villages from the core will becritical as these village areashave the potential of becomingexcellent habitats for herbivoresand will significantly increase thecarrying capacity of the TR.There is a need to improve staffstrength and capacity; there isalso a need for upgrading andincreasing infrastructure forimproved protection and man-agement. As the terrain and liv-ing conditions make this area avery difficult place to patrol andlive in, special funding is neededto give extra incentives to staff,including improved living condi-

tions for staff and families andextra staff to allow adequate restfor frontline staff through aquick rotation of field shifts.Continue with the engagement oflocal communities in protectionand tourism which will generategreater support for the TR.

PENCH (MAHARASHTRA)Strengths | There is only one vil-lage in the core area and there isvery little direct anthropogenicpressure on the TR. Pench TR islargely enclosed in a large bufferand hence is quite well protect-

ed. Pench is relatively free fromweed but lantana needs to betackled. This TR has connectivityto Pench TR in MP and onwardsto Kanha TR so it exists in a rela-tively large tiger conservationlandscape. The TR has alreadyinitiated efforts to shift manage-ment of tourism facilities to com-munity based enterprise.

Weaknesses | The buffer areahas a large number of villagesand forests here are undertremendous anthropogenic pres-sures. There is human-wildlifeconflict in the buffer but the TRis not addressing these at pres-ent as there is no clarity aboutmanagement of the buffer. Staffstrength is insufficient. Capacitybuilding with a focus on wildlifeprotection and management isrequired urgently. At the land-scape level there has been noserious attempt to identify corri-dors to the east (to the north it issecure) and this appears to bethe most fragmented area.

Actionable Points | lThe singlevillage in the core needs to beresettled immediately and optionsfor shifting villages in the buffer(at least those close to the TR corearea) also need to be considered.There is an urgent need toincrease staff strength, capacityand protection infrastructure.Vehicles for patrolling and otheractivities are insufficient. Bufferarea management needs to beplanned and this will require sig-nificant inputs (money andeffort). There is a need to re-eval-uate the corridors/connectivity tothe east. The buffer areas take thebrunt of the anthropogenic pres-sures and addressing these will bea major challenge.

The TR is directly connected toPench TR in MP and from thereonwards till Kanha TR (the inter-vening corridors need to besecured) hence it lies within amuch larger tiger conservationlandscape.


SAHYADRIStrengths | The TR has a largeassemblage of flora and fauna ofconservation interest and as suchit makes a valuable addition tothe TR network. This is a newlydeclared TR. A large number ofvillages (48) have been shiftedout of the area when the damsfor irrigation and hydro-electrici-ty were built in this area. This TRhas forest connectivity toDandeli TR and further beyondall the way to the Nilgiris EasternGhats Landscape (Mudumalai TR,Bandipur TR and many protectedareas).

Weaknesses | There are 15 vil-lages in the core and additionalanthropogenic pressure from thesurrounding villages is alsothere. Mining outside the TR is amajor source of disturbance andpollution. Setting up of windmillsalso damages the landscape.Malki lands (private forests) posea special threat as the loss ofthese areas will cause distur-bance to those wildlife speciesstill occupying these forests.There is felling in these Malkiland. Kumri cultivation is anoth-er threat to the landscape. Staffstrength and capacity is poor andneeds to be strengthened urgent-ly. There is some resentmenttowards the TR, apparently dueto new regulations. Actionable Points | Notificationof the core and buffer needs tobe done at the earliest and acomprehensive TCP needs to beprepared. Resettlement of vil-lages in the core needs to beaddressed on a priority basis.Mitigating anthropogenic pres-sures from the surrounding vil-lages needs to be handled sensi-tively as the local people areapprehensive. Mining close to theTR is a major source of distur-bance to the park. SuitableEcologically Sensitive Area (ESA)should be demarcated around theTR so that these activities arecontained beyond that zone.

Staff strength (including capaci-ty) and infrastructure are inade-quate and need to be augmentedurgently. Given the huge conser-vation landscape that stretchesacross Maharashtra, Karnataka,Tamil Nadu and Kerala, there isneed for higher level planning toensure that the connectivitywithin this landscape is not bro-ken. Issues like tree felling inMalki lands need to be addressedat the state level.

TADOBA-ANDHARIStrengths | This is a large TR witha significant tiger and otherwildlife populations and still hassome fragile connectivity withadditional habitats. The variousforest divisions around this TRfunction in a complementary man-ner to the TR (with a focus on con-servation) and this supports theTR significantly. Tourism isincreasingly (and significantly)directed through the community-run facilities (established by theTR with state funding) and thisreduces the burden of managingtourism on the TR staff. This isalso generating significant supportamong locals and helps reduce theadverse impact of human-wildlifeconflict. NGOs actively supportthis TR and there has been a fairamount of research.

Weaknesses | There are severalvillages in the core of the TR andthese exert significant bioticpressure. Bamboo removal bythese communities and some ofthose outside also cause signifi-cant disturbance. The corridorsconnecting this TR with otherhabitats are under significantpressure from mining and devel-opment. These activities areresulting in creation of fragment-ed landscape around the TR,leading to more conflict fromtigers that disperse.

Actionable Points | Resettlementneeds to be accelerated as thereis threat of this TR getting isolat-ed from the additional habitatpatches outside the TR.Additional infrastructure to sup-port protection and managementis also needed in this TR. Moreattention is needed to ensurethat the fragile corridors aresecured. There is a need toengage the local communitiesmore proactively and to provideor facilitate alternate sources ofincome to forest dependent peo-ple. Poaching is minimized butthe current inadequate staffstrength may not be able to holdup if there is a serious outbreakof poaching. Resettlement of vil-lages is urgently needed.

MP Ecotourism Board

What are disasters? Thereare many definitions,broadly extreme events,

which result in widespread socialdisruption, trauma, propertydamage and loss of life.

Our forest ecosystems are fac-ing many problems from climatechange induced disasters. Spreadof diseases, desertification,drought, cyclones, forest fires,flooding, landslides etc fallunder the category of climate-induced disasters. Even thoughthis problem has to be addressedlargely at global level, we shouldbe well-prepared for dealing withthem at local level in order tominimize their consequences.

Some of the disasters/ crisissituations that we generally facein our parks are: forest fires,droughts (Keoladeo, Bharatpur),flash floods (Kaziranga), land-slides (parks in Himalayas, theeastern and western ghats), rap-idly spreading diseases, epidemi-cs affecting health of our wild

animals, man-animal conflicts,spread of invasive alien species(Kalakad-Mundanthurai), earth-quakes, tsunamis, oil spills(Sunderbans), etc.

We must be well prepared fordealing with such exigencies. Itcan happen only through properplanning and training. Everyemergency situation warrants aplan. For example, for dealingwith a situation like poaching wemust have a well documentedanti-poaching plan for our park.Similarly park authorities musthave well documented plans forfacing exigencies like plan fordealing forest fires, plan for deal-ing with droughts, plan for deal-ing with Man-animal conflicts,plan for dealing with IAS, planfor dealing with bio-securityissues of the park etc.

Lots of work is done in thesefields and help can be taken whileformulating such plans for parks.For example anti-poaching planscan be prepared on the lines of

“Generic Guidelines forPreparation of Security Plan forTiger Reserves” by TRAFFIC Indiaand NTCA. While formulatingplans, help can be taken from theconcepts mentioned in my booktitled “Model Disaster ManagementPlan for Zoological Parks of India”— a CZA publication.

Disasters mainly happen as westill follow the traditional appro-ach, needed equipment (in manycases we don’t have them adequ-ately), need training, need fundsand most of all, are complacent.

The word D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R itselfgives us a fair amount of idea fordealing with it. D is for detectionof exigency and need for commu-nicating it to the chain of com-mand and data collection; I is forincident command (chain of com-mand) within the organization; Sis for support system; A is forassessing hazards; S is for safetyand security; T is for triage, aFrench word that means aprocess of prioritization; E is for


Tackling DisasterBy R Hemanth Kumar, Conservator of Forests, Varanasi Circle, UP

evaluation of the plan; and R isfor rehearsal, redeployment andrecovery.

Wilderness areas all over theworld are susceptible (vulnera-ble) to a number of hazards likeforest fires, floods, cyclones,earthquakes, landslides, epi-demics, animal depredation etc.

These hazards are bound totake place and every park is vul-nerable for these hazards. But ifthe institution has capability/capacity to deal with these haz-ards; the consequences of the dis-aster will be minimized. Hazardtakes the turn of a disaster onlywhen the institution lacks capaci-ty/ capability in dealing with it.For example all of our forests arevulnerable for fire (hazard) and ifthe park authorities have a capaci-ty/ capability for dealing it, thenthe fire will be just an incident.

Conducting a hazard analysiswill determine the hazards thatthe park is most vulnerable to.The disaster management planbecomes more realistic if we candetermine the possible hazardsthat the park might have to face.For example, if the park is not ina coastal area, why should timebe spent on developing proce-dures for a tsunami?

Researching old newspapers,gathering information from theold records of the park will giveinsights to the park managerabout the possible emergencies.When once the exigencies areidentified, put them in the formof a matrix.

By listing, on a scale of 1 to 3each the possibility of each listedhazard, ecological impact, eco-nomic impact and socio-culturalimpact, we can total the overallimpact, which can help us priori-tize the hazards. DudhwaNational Park, for instance,should plan for hazards like fire,bio-security and floods, ratherthan mudslides and tsunami.

After prioritizing, comescapacity building, which can bemainly in the form of toning up

of the skills of employees and inbuilding up required equipment.

The park authorities shouldidentify the skills possessed byits employees, so that they can beused during emergency situa-tions. Once the employees areidentified it is better that they areasked for their participation inthe emergency plan preparations.

If your institution doesn’t haverequired skills then the authori-ties can try to impart requiredskills through training etc.

So the need of the hour is thatthe park authorities should havefirst hand knowledge about theskills possessed by their ownemployees. Once their skills areidentified, measures can be takenup for toning them up throughtraining.

For dealing with exigencies the park must have adequateinfrastructure too. The authoritiesin their emergency plans must discuss about the issues related to equipment — like what arerequired and what they have?Once the requirement is assessedthe authorities can plan for their procurement and upgrade, sothat the capacity or capability of

the park can be enhanced. For example for dealing animal

depredation from the park areas,the emergency plan for such exi-gency can have a chapter on theequipment, which can account forlarge carnivores (equipment need-ed: nets, pole syringes, snare, pro-jectile guns and darts, blow dartequipment, crates, squeeze cagesetc); small carnivores (nets, glo-ves, pole syringes, snare, crates,blow dart equipment, crates, sque-eze cage etc); hoofed stock (pro-jectile guns and darts, blow dartequipment, crates etc) and so on.

Technology assisted emer-gency plans will have a definitiveedge over traditional plans.Space technology, GIS etc areextensively being used by naturalresource managers worldwide fordisaster management. One suchexample is in forest fire plan-ning. In India (in the states likeUttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradeshand Uttarakhand), fire alerts aresent directly to the field levelthrough SMS alerts. Organizati-ons like Forest Survey of Indiaare helping the states in identify-ing the fire hot spots and inci-dence of fire in real time.

It’s all happening because ofthe satellites, which from theirvantage position have unambigu-ously demonstrated their capabil-ity in providing vital informationand services for disaster manage-ment. The Earth Observationsatellites provide comprehensive,synoptic and multi-temporal cov-erage of large areas in real timeand at frequent intervals and‘thus’ have become valuable forcontinuous monitoring of atmos-pheric as well as surface parame-ters related to natural disasters.

The conventional methods offire protection in India cover anelaborate network of fire lines,fire watchtowers, block lines etc.,with very minimum humanresources, which at times end upwith inefficient fire control andmanagement strategies due toaccessibility constraints in


Flash floods are a regular feature in Kaziranga sanctuary

forested regions. Satellite remotesensing with its synoptic andtemporal coverage can augmentthe ground operations in termsof fire detection, damage assess-ment and mitigation planning ina time and cost effective way.

For getting information on for-est fires in India in real time basis,FSI is using satellite data procuredon daily basis by the Forest Firegroup of University of Maryland,USA. Forest Fire Group in associa-tion with NASA uploads informa-tion on active forest fires of thewhole world on the Web FireMapper (maps.geog.umd.edu) onthe daily basis. The updated infor-mation for the current date isavailable at around 10.30am forIndia on this website.

In India we have our own spaceprogramme in place for detectingforest fires in real-time basis. Indi-an Space Research Organisationthrough its array of IRS satellites,Environment Satellite (ENVISAT)and through its Defence Meteoro-logical Satellite Program Opera-tional Line scan System (DMSP-OLS) — a programme that helps indetecting fires during night, ishelping the field mangers in iden-tifying forest fire recurrencezones, forest fire risk assessment,potential areas for fire line align-ment, fire watch towers locations,fire recovery analysis, monitoringfire progression, assessing nearreal time damage and in mitiga-tion planning etc issues.

A comprehensive Indian ForestFire Response and AssessmentSystem (INFFRAS) are invoked bythis organization for forest fireprotection in India. Informationof fire locations on daily basiswith in 1-2 hours of the satelliteground pass can be viewed ontheir web site www.nrsa.gov.in.

Isro has undertaken lots ofinitiatives in forest fire protec-tion using satellite technology. Ithas helped authorities of RajivGandhi National Park, Nagarhole,Karnataka in finding new loca-tions for fire watch towers for

better visibility based on infor-mation obtained from satellitesand offered near real time firedamage assessment was done forNagarjunasagar Srisailam TigerReserve in 2008.

So, if the best of training,capacity and technology is avail-able, why we do generally fail?

In the traditional organizationswe are always compartmental-ized. People are “boxed up” intheir own roles.

If we want to excel, we shouldbring people out from theirboxes by promoting a culture ofinternal communication. Try todevelop contact-full communica-tion with the subordinates, andhave a faith in meaningful com-munication which will help us in“losing of one’s mind and comingto one’s senses” and helps in nul-lifying “skilled in competency oforganizations”.

Increase the rate of innovationin your institutions (createknowledge), and document it(archive knowledge). Be touchywith your subordinates: accord-ing to Bentley, the word TOUCHstands for Trust, Openness,Understanding, Confidentiality,and Honesty. Make them partnersof success, then only you canfathom the barriers.

If you want to make your insti-

tutions a class apart, you have toact like change agents (changeenablers) but for it we have towork very hard, we shouldalways keep in mind whatMahatma Gandhi aptly said“become the change that you areasking for” — a difficult but notimpervious task.

In the words of Kaun Tzu, aChinese poet, 500BC, “if you arethinking a year ahead, sow seed;if you are thinking ten yearsahead, plant a tree; if you arethinking a hundred years ahead,educate people”.

How apt these words are evenafter many centuries?

Finally, let us examine whatthe Australian commission forthe Future (1995) says: “Thefuture is not some place we aregoing to, but one we are creat-ing/ The pathways to it are notfound; but made/The making ofthose pathways changes both themaker and the destination”.

The future is the one which weare planning to create, the path-ways are to be made, and thenonly the makers of those path-ways will be remembered. Sowhat do you want— to be remem-bered and recognized as a vision-ary leader or as a just manager?

The answer to that lies withyou only.


Field managers must have a vision and prepare the way to get there

S P Yadav


EVALUATION

Eco-impact of North Koeldam on Palamau reserveA

committee was constitut-ed by the National TigerConservation Authority,

for the site appraisal of the NorthKoel Dam at Mandal vis-à-vis itsecological impact on the corearea of the Palamau TigerReserve in Jharkhand. The com-mittee visited the site on May 20,2011 and met local people, stake-holders, NGOs, user agencies andofficers of the forest department.The committee also met officersof the state government on May21 in Ranchi. The committee alsoconsidered representations fromthe villagers of Latu and Kujrumas well as opinion of the WildlifeInstitute of India and field direc-tor of Palamau Tiger Reserve.

The ecological impact isanalysed under the following scenarios:

No closure of gate (status quo):In this case there will be no

impounding of the water in thedam hence no change in the eco-logical status of the core/ criticaltiger habitat of the Palamau TigerReserve

Gates of the dam are allowed tobe closed:

The total area of Palamau TR is1,026 sqkm (414.08 sqkm is thecore area). About 119 sqkm ofthe forest will be submerged(including substantial portion ofthe core area — 360.22 ha) whichis about 11.5% of the total area.The submergence-area is primetiger habitat and is very rich in

wildlife and biodiversity. Theseforests are the breeding groundsof Schedule-I animals like tiger,leopards and elephants and theseanimals reside and move hereregularly. Due to submergence,the traditional migratory routesof elephants will be blocked.

The stretch of water at fullreservoir level (FRL) and the peri-od for which water is betweenFRL and dead storage level (DSL)would determine the nature ofchanges in floral compositionand diversity. Generally periodicflooding and consequent avail-

ability of area between FRL andDSL lead to increased productivi-ty of grasses and other vegeta-tion thereby helping the herbi-vore population. However, it willhappen only when there is nobiotic pressure in the form ofcattle grazing and human use ofthe area and its surroundings.

However, the availability ofwater may also open up avenuesfor other commercial activitieslike fishing which may adverselyimpact the ecological value ofthe area undergoing periodicflooding. Therefore, the benefit

Even if new territorial forest or revenue landsequivalent to the submergence area is added tothe Palamau Tiger Reserve, the quality of habitatwould be far inferior to that being submerged


of increased vegetation will beavailable only if human activitiesand interventions are prevented.

As per section 38 V (4) (i) ofthe Wildlife (Protection) Act1972, as amended in 1006, thecore/ critical tiger habitat has tobe maintained as ‘inviolate’ fortiger conservation.

Seventeen villages will be sub-merged due to closure of dam. Ifthese people not resettled takinginto consideration the instant pol-icy and the Forest Rights Act, theymight encroach further on the for-est areas of the reserve. Another13 villages would be landlockedand resettlement of these villageswould also be required

Even if additional newland/area (territorial forest/ rev-enue lands) equivalent to thesubmergence area is added to theTiger Reserve, the quality ofhabitat would be far inferior tothat being submerged. Moreover,such a move would also meannew villages (of the territorial/revenue areas) becoming a partof the Palamau Tiger Reserve.

The submergence and ensuingdisplacement of tribal villagerswould be detrimental towardsthe relationship between the for-est department and local vil-lagers throughout the reserve;and a good rapport between theforest department and local vil-lagers is absolutely critical in theLeft-wing extremism affectedPalamau Tiger Reserve.

All large mammals are highlyterritorial, and in case of suddendestruction of their territory dueto submergence, they are muchmore likely to stray into adjoin-ing areas which include humanhabitations; and this will increasethe man-animal conflict exponen-tially. The effect of destruction ofsuch centuries-old wildlife-migra-tion routes, to which these ani-mals have become accustomedand familiar with over hundredsof years would be disastrous forPalamau’s wildlife. The elephantsof Palamau rarely venture outside

the boundaries of the reserve,and just migrate within thereserve area, moving on fixedintra-reserve migration-routes, ofwhich Kutku-submergence area isa very vital part.

The project aims at generationof 24MW of electricity. For evacu-ation of this, electricity transmis-sion lines will be needed. Thistransmission line will passthrough Project Tiger forest. Forthis purpose, additional forestarea will be required. This wouldfurther cause damage to the for-est. Moreover, these transmissionlines will be a potential fire andelectrocution threat and a causeof disturbance to the wildlife.

The impounding of the waterin the dam will change theecosystem of the Tiger Reserve.

The benefits of closure of thegates of dam are as follows:

Irrigation benefit to roughly

1,11,800 ha of agricultural land inAurangabad and Gaya districts ofBihar and 14,790 ha in Jharkhandwhich would justify the expendi-ture of approximately Rs 750crore so far on the project.

The project would also behelpful in providing drinkingwater to the people and water forindustrial use.

The project would also gener-ate 24MW hydro-electric power.

The impounded water wouldbe available for the use of thewildlife of the Palamau TigerReserve.

Area of submergence, afterreceding of water, may developinto grassland and would benefitthe herbivore population of theTiger Reserve.

If closure of the gates in thedam is allowed, it has to be withadditional mitigation measureslike viable livelihood options tothe affected people.

The state should notify thebuffer area and further add dou-ble the area of submergence tothe core area of Tiger Reserve, allvacant posts of the reserve needsto be filled up immediately.

Catchment area treatment planand command area developmentplan need to be prepared andimplemented at the cost of theproject. Villages losing access totheir community rights on thesubmerged forest land also needto be resettled. Closure of the gate restrictingthe water impounding to thedead storage level of the dam:No adverse ecological impacton the tiger reserve and wildlifeWater availability to thewildlife would be increasedTo some extent, would justifythe expenditure done so far onthe projectGroundwater table in thePalamau district as well as in thedown stream areas would beincreasedHowever, the benefits of thedam like irrigation and electricitygeneration would not be available.

All large mammals arehighly territorial andsubmergence of theirterritory will affect centuries-old wildlifemigration routes

Panna, MPReintroduction-based recovery of tiger population Tiger (Panthera tigris) is anendangered species, facing

extinction crisis from habitat loss, poach-ing and conflicts with human interests. InPanna Tiger Reserve, tiger populationshowed a steep growth from 2-3 tigers/100sqkm to 7 tigers/100 sqkm between 1995and 2002, but rapidly declined to a localextinction in early 2009. Reintroductionefforts were initiated between March andNovember 2009, with translocation of threetigers (two females and one male) fromthree distinct populations within CentralIndia landscape.

Viability analysis suggested that for aviable population of 25 breeding individu-als, a founder population of six individuals(two males and four females), with supple-mentation every three years for three con-secutive terms, are required. Nevertheless,the three initial set of reintroduced ani-mals established well, occupying the bestavailable habitats and bred successfully.

Given the changed scenario of six cubs inthe present population, further reinforce-ment to founder population was delayed,until March 2011, when a tigress raised incaptive and semi natural environment inKanha was released here as an experimentto rehabilitate this orphaned tiger.

Genetic viability of this small founderpopulation in Panna is assured from theoriginal stock from three different sources,such that the genetic trajectory of the re-established population would likely reflectthe historical population features.

Post-release monitoring efforts throughradio-telemetry and field sampling proto-cols provides spatio-temporal dynamics inhabitat occupancy and behavior of theseanimals. The reintroduction of tiger inPanna Tiger Reserve has been achievedthrough intensive monitoring and proactivemanagement efforts and sets an example,and offers credible scientific and manage-ment lessons for responding to futureextinction crisis.

— K Ramesh, Scientist C

Population genetics &poaching prevention

Illicit poaching has been a major chal-lenge for conserving wildlife globally due

to high demand in traditional Chinese medicine andother purposes in the international market.

Regulation could be immensely improved by theability to verify the geographic origin of parts andproducts seized under wildlife offences. We discusscombined genetic and statistical approach to deter-mine the geographic origin based on commonly usedapproaches of multi-locus genotyping and uniquehaplotypes/ SNP observed in mtDNA.

We established multi-locus genotyping profile datafor tigers from northern, western and central Indiaand Sunderbans. The mean observed heterozygositywas 0.337-0.762 whereas mean effective number ofalleles per locus (Ne) ranged from 1.91 to 3.49. Ofthe 48 tiger poaching cases referred, 43% and 14.5%cases were from Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. Theremaining were from other regions (n=11). Thesecases were mainly of skins (50%) and bones (44%). Ofthe 24 skins seized, 71% were of males.

— S P Goyal, Scientist G

Kaziranga, AssamImpact of NH-37 on wildlife movement between Kaziranga and Karbi-Anglong Hills

This component of the larger study assessed thenature of ecological effects associated with NationalHighway 37 aligned along the southern boundary ofKaziranga National Park and evaluated the efficacyof existing speed regulation measures constructedin different sections of the highway.

Maximum use of herbivores was recorded inKanchanjuri and Haldibari corridors. Small carnivoreuse was high in Ghurakati and Panbari corridors,which are located along habitations. Large carni-vores frequented the Haldibari corridor whichoffered better habitat connectivity betweenKaziranga and Karbi Anglong hills. Highest numberof road kills were recorded for reptiles (69%) fol-lowed by birds (23%) and mammals (8%). High traf-fic volume poses a major threat to wildlife move-ment between KNP and Karbi Anglong hills duringfloods and effective measures are needed toimprove the functionality of movement corridors.

— A Pragatheesh, Senior Research Fellow

R E S E A R C H A B S T R A C T SPapers presented in the Annual Research Seminar (2011) of the Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun

STRIPES | BI-MONTHLY OUTREACH JOURNAL OF NATIONAL TIGER CONSERVATION AUTHORITY,A STATUTORY BODY UNDER MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND FORESTS, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

VOLUME TWO FOR FREE DISTRIBUTION ISSUE SIX

DELENG/2009/30636

Published and printed by Inder Mohan Singh Kathuria on behalf of National Tiger Conservation Authority. Published at Annexe No 5, Bikaner House, Shahjahan Road, New Delhi - 110011 and

printed at Astha Packaging, 122 DSISC Sheds, Okhla Phase I, New Delhi - 110020

MP Ecotourism Board

bi-monthly outreach journal of national … · tiger assessment done once in four years by ntca, in...

Documents