Wildlife Protection: Projects undertaken by Govt. of India for Wildlife Protection

Wildlife Protection: Projects undertaken by Govt. of India for Wildlife Protection!

Wildlife is an important component of biodiversity. To prevent the extinction of species, conservation efforts have been initiated.

Policies and Legislations:

To govern wildlife conservation and protection of endangered species, the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 was adopted by all states excluding Jammu and Kashmir (which has its own Act). The Act prohibits trade in rare and endangered species.

Government at central level provides financial assistance to states for (i) strengthening management and protection of infrastructure of national parks and sanctuaries; (ii) protection of wildlife and control of poaching and illegal trade in wildlife products; (iii) captive breeding programmes for endangered species of wildlife; (iv) wildlife education and interpretation; (v) development of zoos; (vi) conservation of rhinos in Assam; (vii) protection of tiger, elephant, etc.

The 1972 Act has been amended to make the provisions more effective. Endangered species of plants and animals have been brought under the purview of the Act. Under a new amendment to the Act in 2002, penalties are sought to be enhanced for violations of the provisions of the Act.

Also proposed is the creation of two new categories of protected areas, viz., ‘conservation reserve’ and ‘community reserve’. A Central Zoo Authority (CZA) was established in 1992 under the Act to oversee the management of zoological parks in the country.

The CZA was reconstituted for the sixth time in September 2007 with Minister of State, Environment and Forests as its chairman. There is a total 15 member contingents in CZA for discharge of its mandated functions.

The main functions of the CZA are:

(i) Specification of minimum standards for housing, upkeep and veterinary care of the animals in the zoos.

(ii) Recognition of zoos on the basis of evaluation of their functioning.

(iii) Identification of endangered species of wild animals for the purpose of captive breeding and assignment of responsibility in this regard to zoos.

(iv) Coordination of the acquisition, exchange and loaning of animals for breeding.

(v) Provision of technical and other assistance to zoos for management and development on scientific lines.

A National Studbook Cell has been envisaged for maintaining national studbooks of all the endangered wild animal species. A National Referral Centre (NRC) was established at Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly for providing super specialty services and diagnostic facilities for better health care of wild animals in Indian zoos.

Recognition of zoos is now based on notified standards for upkeep, maintenance and veterinary care of animals.

In 1983, the Government of India adopted an National Wildlife Action Plan to provide the framework of strategy as well as a programme for wildlife conservation. The 1983 action plan was revised, and a new plan (2002-2016) has now been adopted. A monitoring committee will oversee the implementation of the plan.

The important decisions taken during the third meeting of the National Board for wildlife in June 2006 included an alternate home for lions, survey for assessing the current status of peacocks in India, preparation of an action plan for conservation of the red jungle fowl, and identification of wetlands outside the protected area system for conservation.

The standing committee of the Board was reconstituted in July 2007 and the fourth meeting of the Board was held in November 2007. The important decisions taken included setting up of a sub-committee for recovery programme of endangered terrestrial species and for conservation of marine species.

A Wildlife Institute was set up at Dehradun and a Wildlife Advisory Committee was constituted (in 1996) to advise on various aspects of wildlife conservation and related matters.

The Indian Board of Wildlife, headed by the prime minister, is the apex advisory body overseeing and guiding the implementation of various schemes for wildlife conservation. It was reconstituted on December 7, 2001.

The protected area network in India includes 99 national parks and 513 wildlife sanctuaries, 41 conservation reserves and 4 community reserves.

The Animal Welfare Division became a part of Ministry of Environment and Forests in July 2002. Earlier, the division was under Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. The mandate of Animal Welfare Division is to prevent the infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering

on animals. The main task of the division is to implement effectively the various provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960.

The division provides assistance for construction of shelter houses, dispensaries, etc., for stray, infirm and abandoned animals. It also gives grants for ambulances and vehicles in connection with treatment and transportation of sick, injured and rescued animals. Another major developmental programme is immunisation and sterilisation of stray dogs.

A National Institute of Animal Welfare (NIAW) at Faridabad has also been established to impart training and education in animal welfare and veterinary science. The institute aims at creating an enabling environment for the fulfillment of statutory requirements under the PCA Act, 1960.

The Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) is a statutory body under the PCA Act, 1960. With headquarters at Chennai, its basic mandate is to advise the government on animal welfare issues, and create awareness in animal welfare. The AWBI gives financial assistance to eligible animal welfare organisations for shelter houses, model gaushalas for setting up of bio-gas plants, famine/drought relief, earthquake relief, etc., in various states.

The Committee for Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) is also a statutory body under the PCA Act, I960 with headquarters at Chennai. The mandate of this committee is to register and monitor the animal breeders and institutions conducting experiments on animals.

International Conventions Related to Wildlife:

India is a party to five major international conventions related to wildlife conservation, viz., Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), Coalition Against Wildlife Trafficking (CAWT), International Whaling Commission (IWC), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation—World Heritage Committee (UNESCO- WHC), and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). The Ministry of Environment and Forests is the nodal agency for these conventions.

i. CITES:

The Government of India signed the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild flora and fauna on July 20, 1976. Under this convention, export or import of endangered species and their products is subject to strict- controls. Commercial exploitation of such species is also prohibited.

The 14th conference of parties to the CITES was held at The Hague, Netherlands, in June 2007. The Indian delegation actively participated and intervened in various agenda, particularly those which were of national interest or indirectly affected our conservation efforts. India’s initiatives in conservation of Asian Big Cats and Tibetan Antelope were much appreciated. The CoP also acknowledged the establishment of Wildlife Crime Control Bureau by India.

ii. CAWT:

The Coalition against Wildlife Trafficking is a global coalition of governments and international business and conservation organisations, working together to support each other’s efforts to end the illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products. It is not a legal entity but a partnership of like-minded governments and organisations who are willing to make a political commitment to end wildlife trafficking.

India has joined hands with the US and other partners against the illegal wildlife crime/trafficking. The first meeting of the ministerial partners was held in Nairobi in February 2007.

iii. IWC:

India, a member of -the International Whaling Commission since 1981, has played a pro-active and prominent role in bringing about a moratorium on commercial whaling and supporting the commission in its efforts in conservation of migratory species of wild animals.

iv. UNESCO-WHO:

The UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention is responsible for lifting of world heritage sites, which include both cultural and natural sites. The wildlife department of the Ministry of Environment and Forests of India is associated with Conservation of the natural world heritage sites. An externally-aided project has also been undertaken by we ministry for the conservation of wildlife.

The total period of the project is 10 years with two phases. The project will be undertaken in four world heritage sites of India, viz., Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park, Nanda Devi National Park, and Keoladeo National Park.

v. CMS:

India is a signatory to the convention on Conservation of Migratory Species, also known as Bonn convention, since 1983. It signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with CMS at Bangkok in February 2007 for the conservation and management of marine turtles and their habitats of the Indian Ocean and South East Asia.

Project Tiger:

The Government of India launched Project Tiger on April 1, 1973 in the Corbett National Park as a consequence of the concrete international effort to create an awareness and raise funds for saving the tiger. This international effort was led by Guy Mountfort of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).

It ensured maintenance of a viable population of tigers in India for scientific, economic, aesthetic, cultural and ecological values, and to preserve for all times, areas of biological importance as a national heritage for the benefit, education and enjoyment of the people”. Initially, nine tiger wildlife reserves (with 268 tigers) constituted the Project Tiger network.

As of 2008, there were 28 tiger reserves in 17 states, covering an area of 37,761 sq. km. The Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 was amended in 2006 to incorporate the creation of the National Tiger Conservation Authority. The first meeting of the National Tiger Conservation Authority was held in November 2006. With the amendment of this Act, a Wildlife Crime Control Bureau was also subsequently established.

The Ministry of Environment and Forests provides necessary technical and financial support to the state governments for wildlife conservation under various centrally sponsored schemes (CSS). The states receive 100 per cent financial assistance for non-recurring items and 50 per cent for approved recurring items. The punishment in cases of offence within a tiger reserve has also been enhanced.

Following are some of the administrative measures taken by the environment and forests ministry:

i. Strengthening of antipoaching activities, including special strategy for monsoon patrolling by providing funding support to tiger reserve states.

ii. Provision of hundred per cent central assistance to 17 tiger reserves as an addition for deployment of “tiger protection force”.

iii. Constitution of a multidisciplinary Tigers and Other Endangered Species Crime Control Bureau, with effect from June 2007, comprising officers from police, forest, customs and other enforcement agencies to effectively control illegal trade in wildlife.

iv. Approval for eight new tiger reserves.

v. Evolution and mainstreaming of a scientific methodology for estimating the number of tigers.

vi. Identification of approximately 31,111 sq. km of core or critical tiger habitat in 17 states.

The Project Tiger guidelines have been further revised and include funding support to states for enhanced village relocation; rehabilitation of communities involved in traditional hunting and mainstreaming livelihood and wildlife concerns in forests; and fostering corridor conservation through restorative strategy to stop habitat fragmentation.

International Cooperation in Tiger Conservation:

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Nepal on controlling trans-boundary illegal trade in wildlife and conservation.

i. A protocol on tiger conservation with China.

ii. A Global Tiger Forum of Tiger Range Countries for addressing international issues related to tiger conservation.

iii. A resolution along with China, Nepal and Russia for restricting breeding tigers on a commercial scale and for adopting measures to conserve wild tigers.

Tiger Reserves:

The selection of reserves is guided by representation of ecotypical wilderness areas across the biogeographic range of tiger distribution in the country. Project Tiger is a custodian of major gene pool in the country. It is also a repository of some of the most valuable ecosystem and habitats for wildlife.

The Tiger Reserves are constituted on a ‘core-buffer strategy’. The core area is kept free of biotic disturbances and forestry operations, where collection of minor forest produce, grazing human disturbances are not allowed within. However, the buffer zone is managed as a ‘multiple use area with twin objectives of providing habitat supplement to the spillover population of wild animals

from the core conservation unit, and to provide site-specific ecodevelopmental inputs to surrounding villages for relieving the impact on the core.

No relocation is visualised in the buffer area, and forestry operations, Non-Timber Forest Produce (NTFP) collection and other rights and concessions to the indigenous communities are supposed to be permitted in a regulated manner to complement the initiatives in the core unit.

Tiger Reserves in Tiger Range States:

Sl. Year of No. Creation Name of the Reserve State Total Area in Sq km

1. 1973-74 Bandipur Karnataka 866

1999-2000 Nagarhole (extension) 643

2. 1973-74 Corbett Now in Uttarakhand

(earlier in Uttar Pradesh)

1316

3. 1973-74 Kan ha Madhya Pradesh 1945

4. 1973-74 Manas Assam 2840

5. 1973-74 Melghat Maharashtra 1677

6. 1973-74 Palamau Now in Jharkhand (earlier in Bihar) 1026

7. 1973-74 RanthambhoreRajasthan 1334

8. 1973-74 Similipal Orissa 2750

9. 1973-74 Sunderbans West Bengal 2585

10. 1978-79 PeriyarKerala 777

11. 1978-79 SariskaRajasthan 866

12. 1982-83 Buxa West Bengal 759

13. 1982-83 Indravati Chhattisgarh 2799

(earlier in Madhya Pradesh)

14. 1982-83 Nagarjunsagar Andhra Pradesh 3568

15. 1982-83 Namdapha Arunachal Pradesh 1985

16. 1987-88 Dudhwa Uttar Pradesh 811

1999-2000 Katerniaghat (extension) 551

17. 1988-89 Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tamil Nadu 800

18. 1989-90 Valmiki Bihar 840

19. 1992-93 Pench Madhya Pradesh 758

20. 1993-94 Tadoba-Andheri Maharashtra 620

21. 1993-94 Bandhavgarh Madhya Pradesh 1162

22. 1994-95 Panna Madhya Pradesh 542

23. 1994-95 Dampha Mizoram 500

24. 1998-99 BhadraKarnataka 492

25. 1998-99 Pench Maharashtra 257

26. 1999-2000 Pakhui-Nameri Arunachal Pradesh-Assam 1206

27. 1999-2000 Bori, Satpura, Panchmari

Madhya Pradesh

1486

Total 37.731

An eco-development scheme in and around national parks and sanctuaries including tiger reserves was also launched to provide alternate sources of sustenance to the communities living at the fringes of national parks and sanctuaries including tiger reserves, to improve the ecological productivity of the buffer zones of protected areas through the involvement of these communities in protecting these sanctuaries and national parks and their wild life; through a well-designed package of activities aimed at providing sustenance to the forest side communities and ameliorating their hardships to minimise conflicts between those communities and the protection staffs.

The various activities undertaken under the scheme are:

i. Habitat improvement

ii. Alternate sources of energy

iii. Infrastructure building/roads, etc., and

iv. Small welfare measures.

Project Elephant:

In India elephants are mainly to be found in the rain forests of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala; the tropical forests of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Central India, and the western region; and the Himalayan foothills in the north-east and Uttarakhand. India has about 25,000 elephants.

The elephant habitat has shrunk over the years, and poaching for elephant tusks has endangered the species especially in southern India. Construction of roads and dams has led to encroachment of forest lands, interfering with the traditional migratory routes of elephants necessary for them in their search for food. Conversion of natural forests to monocarp plantations for commercial

purposes has also been harmful. The forced isolation of elephants in reserves has often led to inbreeding with the consequential negative effects.

Project Elephant was launched in February 1992 to assist states having free-ranging populations of wild elephants to ensure long term survival of identified viable populations of elephants in their natural habitats.

The project is being implemented in 13 states, viz., Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. The states are given financial as well as technical and scientific assistance in achieving the objectives of the project.

The main activities of Project Elephant are as follows:

(i) Ecological restoration of existing natural habitats and migratory routes of elephants;

(ii) Development of scientific and planned management for conservation of elephant habitats and viable population of wild Asiatic elephants in India;

(iii) Promotion of measures for mitigation of man-elephant conflict in crucial habitats and moderating pressures of human and domestic stock activities in crucial elephant habitats;

(iv) Strengthening of measures for protection of wild elephants from poachers and unnatural causes of death;

(v) Research on issues related to management of elephant conservation;

(vi) Public education and awareness programmes;

(vii) Eco-development;

(viii) Veterinary care; and

(ix) Building up the stock of field staff, mahouts and veterinarians.

Elephant Reserves in India (2005 Census Population):

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Protecting Vultures:

The report of the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries made a shocking revelation on the population of vultures that has decimated in the entire region of South Asia. One of the major causes of decimation of the population of vultures is the pharmaceutical drug, diclofenac, which is toxic to the bird even at relatively low dosage.

This is a matter of great concern as vultures are natural scavengers and play a crucial role in the ecosystem, and are also essential for the overall well being of the environment and life support system.

In May 2006, the Government of India initiated preventive actions to curb further decline in the population of vultures which also includes banning the use of diclofenac in veterinary sector.

Following are the other measures adopted by the government:

i. An “action plan” for vulture conservation is being implemented to stem the decline and put the vulture population on growth path.

ii. The government has extended support to breeding centres at Pinjore in Haryana, Buxa in West Bengal and Rani Forest in Assam.

iii. Captive breeding centres at four zoos at Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Junagarh and Hyderabad have also been set up through the Central Zoo Authority.

Protecting Gharials:

It was reported in 2008 that since mid-December 2007 dozens of the rare Indian crocodile, known as the gharial, are turning up dead on the banks of the Chambal River. They have perished, apparently as a result of a mysterious live disease, while the population of these animals in the wild has been dropping steadily.

The decline in the population of adult gharials from 436 about a decade ago to 182 in 2006, according to World Conservation Union (IUCN) estimates, has raised international alarm. It has prompted the IUCN to classify them as critically endangered on its Red List of species.

The Central government’s initiative to set up a crisis management group for the gharial with help from the World Wildlife Fund offers some hope. A comprehensive investigation to determine the cause of the gharial deaths and urgent remedial measures has been called for.

There may also be some merit in the criticism from conservationists that poor enforcement in prime gharial nesting areas in the Chambal has created ruinous habitat disturbance. Sand mining and the hunting of fish and turtles in the protected areas have led to the destruction of nesting sites, the depletion of fish, and the killing of gharials that accidentally get entangled in turtle nets; poorly conceived dams, barrages, irrigation canals, and roaming livestock have added to the pressure.

Conservationists say the gharial deaths are a cause for worrying because they could be the first sign of river contamination and of potential threats to the rest of the ecosystem.

The gharial (a fish-eating crocodile with a long snout), native to South Asia, is one of the most endangered freshwater crocodile species. The World Wide Fund for Nature believes it is extinct in its former habitats of Pakistan, Bhutan and Myanmar. Now, it is reported only from India and Nepal.

An estimated 1,300 gharials are left in the wild, mostly in India, according to the Fund. The government, under pressure from conservationists, set up protected areas in 1979 along the Chambal to prevent poaching of their skin for high-grade crocodile leather, and it raises eggs in captivity to protect them from predators.

The World Conservation Union recently upgraded it from being an “endangered” to a “critically endangered” species. But the recent deaths have further depleted the stock of breeding pairs to less than 200, conservationists and the Forest Department believes.

Animal Welfare Division:

The mandate of the Animal Welfare Division is to prevent the infliction of unnecessary pain or suffering on animals. The division is entrusted with the implementation of the provisions of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960.

Some of the important rules framed under the act include:

i. Performing Animals (Registration) Rules, 2001

ii. Transport of Animal Rules, 1978 and 2001

iii. Prevention of Cruelty (Slaughter Houses) Rules, 2001

iv. Animal Birth Control (Dogs) Rules, 2001

v. Breeding of and Experiments on Animals (Control and Supervision) Rules, 1998

vi. Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Establishment and Regulation of Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) Rules 2001

Statutory organisations have also been set up under this Act:

(a) Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI):

A statutory body under Section 4 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, its headquarters is in Chennai. Its basic mandate is to advise the government on animal welfare issues, and create awareness in animal welfare. The Board gives financial assistance to eligible animal welfare organisations for maintenance, etc., through funds released by the animal welfare division.

Other activities of the Board include the following:

(i) Propagation of “Humane Education”. The Animal Welfare fortnight, held from January 14-30, and World Animal Day on October 4th, is celebrated by all animal welfare organisations around the world.

(ii) Providing free, on the spot veterinary treatment to sick and injured animals belonging to the poor people through mobile clinic programmes.

(iii) Publishing magazines—Animal Citizen, Jeev Sarthi and AWBI Newsletter—in which important news, events, articles and activities of animal welfare organisations, etc., are published.

(iv) Filed a petition in Supreme Court of India to ban the cruel game of cattle race and has obtained a stay order.

(v) Initiatives taken for modernising the gaushalas through in-house training of gaushala personnel. The Board is making all the efforts to modernise the gaushalas by utilising the huge potential of biomass for production of biogas, bio-fertilisers and bio-pesticide that would go a long way in upliftment of rural economy.

(vi) National Institute of Animal Welfare (NIAW) has been set up in Haryana as the subordinate office of the Ministry of Environment and Forests. It imparts training and education in animal welfare on diversified basis comprising, among other things, animal management, their behaviour and ethics. Its broad mandate covers the need to improve animal welfare through education, research and public outreach.

(vii) Creation of shelter houses for distressed animals.

(viii) Introduced a scheme for birth control and immunisation of stray dogs for controlling the population of it by sterilisation and for reducing incidences of rabies through timely immunisation.

(ix) Provision of ambulance services to animals in distress. Under the scheme, animal welfare organisations are given grant for purchase of suitable vehicle for transportation, rescue and also for providing emergency services to animals.

(x) Introduction of a scheme for relief to animals during natural calamities and unforeseen circumstances.

(b) Committee for Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA):

A statutory body under Section 15 of Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960, its headquarters are in Chennai. The main function of the committee is to register institutions carrying out animal experimentation and/or breeding, to consider approval of animal house facilities, and to regulate use of animals in experimentation.

The mandate of this committee is to ensure that while conducting various types of experiments, for medical research or for educational purposes, the animals are not subjected to avoidable pain or suffering. By the Eleventh Plan, more than 1100 establishments have been registered.

Karnataka decides to close private resorts near sanctuaries

The Karnataka Government has decided to order closure of all private commercial resorts located in the vicinity of wildlife sanctuaries in the state to curb harmful effects on forests and wildlife.

It was also decided to shut all the forest department’s guest houses located inside forests in the state, the Minister for Forest, C P Yogeeshwara, who held a meeting with department officials today, said here.

New guest houses would be built outside the forests for carrying out administrative and other works of the department, the Minister said.

There was a huge demand for accommodation in forest guest houses from relatives of IFS officers and other higher level officials.

Notices would be served on owners of all existing private resorts to close their operations since they have been causing harmful effects on forests and wildlife, Yogeeshwara said.

To take advantage of tourists visiting wildlife sanctuaries, particularly tiger reserves, resorts have come up in the vicinity of reserved forest areas. Private parties have illegally constructed 30 resorts by encroaching forest areas.

The department’s principal secretary would tour wildlife sanctuaries and formulate guidelines to restrict movement of tourists and vehicles inside tiger reserves

Court order halts tourism in 5 tiger reservesFollowing the Supreme Court ban, the Department of Forests has stopped all tourism activities in the core areas of tiger reserves in Bandipur, Nagarahole, Anshi-Dandeli, Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple (BRT) and Bhadra wildlife ranges.

The department’s order is valid till August 22, when the matter will come up for further hearing in the Supreme Court.

According to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Wildlife Warden Deepak Sarmah, there will be no tourism activity in Bandipur range; Nagarahole, D.B. Kuppe and Antarsante ranges in the Nagarahole National Park; Lakkavalli and Muttodi in the Bhadra range; Punasoli and Kulgi in Anshi-Dandeli range, and K. Gudi in the BRT range.

On Wednesday, orders were sent to all deputy conservators of forests and chief conservators of forest (Wildlife) of the five reserves. But tourism activity will continue in Bheemeshwari, Bannerghatta, Bhagavathi (Kudremukh), Daroji Bear Sanctuary, Dubare, and the blackbuck sanctuary in Bidar as these are not tiger reserves, a forest official said.

Impact on tourism

The closure of these five key wildlife reserves for tourism activities will directly impact the sector. Anshi-Dandeli in Uttara Kannada district, Bandipur National Park, Nagarahole National Park, and Bhadra in Chikmagalur district together accounted for 1,34,293 tourists in 2011. Though this is a fraction of the total number of tourists visiting the State across various categories, the impact of the ban will be most felt by State-owned Jungle Lodges and Resorts (JLR) Ltd. which runs resorts in Nagarahole, Bandipur, K. Gudi, Lakkavalli and Kulgi.

The closure of these tourism hubs will lead to a 50 per cent loss in revenues, Managing Director, JLR, P. Anur Reddy told The Hindu .

He said that 80 per cent of tourist traffic was in tiger reserves, and that 40 safari vehicles had stopped plying from Wednesday morning. JLR was earning Rs. 10 lakh annually from safari in tiger reserves, he added.

Bookings cancelled

B.J. Hosmath, Field Director, Project Tiger, told The Hindu that all bookings for the quarters of the Department of Forests had been cancelled. Mr. Hosmath pointed out that the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had identified the two national parks — together encompassing over 1,500 sq km — as “core critical tiger habitats” and hence the apex court directive had been implemented in both Bandipur and Nagarahole without distinguishing between core zone and buffer zone.

Wildlife and conservation activists have welcomed the order. They, however, are worried that this may stifle education- and conservation-related activities in these ranges. Wildlife biologist K. Ullas Karanth welcomed the move.

He, however, noted that one should not lose sight of non-commercial and educational values of nature tourism and public support they generate for conservation.

In a press release, he added: “Certainly, all tourist residential facilities should be moved out of core habitats and critical corridors at the earliest. The economic power of tourism should be leveraged to create more habitat outside, not to overload existing tiger habitats, as all too often happens.”

Praveen Bhargav, trustee, Wildlife First, Bangalore, said the attempt to crash land an African model of high intensity vehicle-borne tourism into our relatively small reserves had thankfully been stymied by the Supreme Court. However, this must not lead to stopping of education- and conservation-related activities that were very important to secure a future for tigers, he added.

‘No delineation’

Though the Supreme Court ban on tourism is restricted to core areas of tiger reserves, sources told The Hindu there was no delineation of core zone and buffer zone in both Bandipur and Nagarahole and the demarcation of “tourism zone” was done for convenience.

Wildlife Tourism – New Study, New RevelationsWildlife tourism has averaged 15% growth in India, mirroring many countries. This growth is reflected in the increase in visitors to many Indian protected areas. Krithi K. Karanth, Ruth DeFries, Arjun Srivathsa and Vishnupriya Sankaraman examine the attitudes and perceptions of visitors to three of India’s most popular and well known National Parks and Tiger Reserves, namely Nagarahole, Kanha and Ranthambore.These are the highlights of their study from a forthcoming paper in the journal Oryx.

Wildlife tourism is growing at 15% annually in parks.

Over 70% of visitors are Indian.

The majority of tourists are on their first visit, spend an average $600 on their visit and stay for less than a week.

Tourists visit to see nature, tigers and appreciate the scenic beauty of these parks.

Many tourists (71%) are willing to re-visit these parks but tourists to Ranthambore and Kanha say that tiger sightings are a must.

Tourists are willing to pay more — in the form of higher entry fees.

Tourists believe that local people benefit from wildlife tourism.

Tourists indicated that parks need to be managed better by the Forest Department.

Study Sites

Three parks were selected across India- Nagarahole, Kanha and Ranthambore -where visitor numbers vary from 74,000 to 154,000 people per year. These parks are among India’s premier tiger viewing destinations.

MethodsIn 2010, interviews were conducted with 436 visitors to these parks.

The Results

Wildlife tourism in India and in these parks has seen growth from less than 10,000 people per year to more than 170,000 people per year over a 15-

year period.

Many tourists (71%) were first time visitors to these parks but had participated in wildlife tours elsewhere.

Visitors were well educated (52% with bachelor’s degrees and 30% with post-graduate degrees) and spent an average of US $600, staying for up to a

week.

People visited these parks to see nature, view tigers and appreciate scenic beauty.

Visitors best experiences were good wildlife sightings in all parks.

Common complaints were too many vehicles and poorly trained drivers and guides.

Many tourists (71%) are likely to revisit the same parks but tourists in Ranthambore and Kanha were more tiger-centric and less likely to visit if tigers

were to go extinct.

Tourists were aware of gate fees and many were willing to pay higher gate fees.

Tourists visiting Ranthambore and Kanha, perceived more benefits to local people compared to tourists in Nagarahole.

Many (80%) tourists were not happy with the Forest Departments’ park and tourism management efforts.

Tourist suggestions include improving the entry process, limiting the number of vehicles and improving vehicle safety.

Visitors also recommended educating tourists and monitoring other tourists’ behavior and better training for guides and drivers.

Other suggestions include increasing patrolling efforts and employing more locals.

ObservationTourists have a critical role to play in India as wildlife tourism continues to grow in leaps and bounds. Visitors’ concern and interest in Indian wildlife and parks along with financial prowess can become a boon or death knell for conservation. There is a critical need to encourage visitors to behave better inside parks (noise, clothing, trash), and respect the environment they are in. Interest in tigers is wonderful, but obsession with a single species can do serious harm to the other wildlife and wild places we are trying to conserve.