UTTARAKHAND
The Terai landscape in Uttarakhand stretching from Yamuna to Sharda river currently has about 200+ tigers with Corbett as the main source. This amounts to one-sixth of the current tiger population in India, but the state has the potential to hold a significantly larger number. Towards this end, at the very least, the following steps are required to be taken within a period of three years:
-
Consolidate Greater Corbett Landscape – with the Ramnagar and Terai forest divisions under the unified control of the
Field Director, Corbett Tiger Reserve.
- Notify and protect corridors along the Terai Arc ie. Kosi river, Gola river corridor to facilitate animal movement and minimiseconflict. The Terai Arc landscape from Yamuna to Sharda should be one conservation unit..
- Remove the Sundarkhal encroachment bordering Corbett.
- Ensure the relocation of the Khandgaon village and ammunition Dump from Rajaji. Remove irrigation colony (Kalagarh).
-
Relocate Gujjars from the critical Corbett precincts.
- Set up a Special Tiger Protection Force.
UTTAR PRADESH
Has a population of about 100 tigers, with Dudhwa as the main source.
Consolidating this part of the Terai landscape is vital for the survival of tigers in UP
- Declare core critical tiger habitat of Dudhwa
- Ensure smooth fund flow to Dudhwa
- Relocate Surma village from Dudhwa’s core
- Pilibhit has been given the in-principle approval by the centre as a tiger reserve, it must be declared and notified at the earliest.
Declare Suhelwa Sanctuary as part of Dudhwa. Secure the fragmented Pilibhit-Kishanpur-Dudhwa-Katerniaghat-Suhelwa
corridor which is one of the most potential tiger habitats in north India. This will minimize human-animal conflict which is a major
concern in U.P.
- A scheme/subsidy to incentivize farmers to shift from sugarcane cultivation to other crops
like mustard etc, as sugarcane fosters conflict. Sugarcane is of the same genre as wild grasses and offer good camouflage and
shelter to tigers, leopards and other wild animals and attracts elephants..
- Set up Special Tiger Protection Force
MADHYA PRADESH
MP had the highest number of tigers in India, at about 300 according to the
last estimation. The population has seen a sharp decline since then, with tigers being wiped out from Panna. M.P.
nevertheless, has the potential to hold a significantly larger number. Towards this end, at the very least, the following
steps are required to be taken within a period of three years:
- Resettle villages from the core of Kanha and Satpura Tiger Reserves.
- Halt widening of the NH7 highway, which cuts through the Kanha-Pench corridor. The best option will be to re-direct it from outside Pench.
- The Kanha-Pench landscape corridor hosts between 100-120 tigers at present. Improve the forest cover along the Kanha-Pench corridor to
enable easy movement of wildlife and also to improve the carrying capacity of the entire landscape. With adequate protection just the Pench-Kanha landscape (20,000) could house close to 250 tigers.
- Accountability of officers, as in the case of Panna, Bandhavgarh (death of tigress by vehicle) and Pench (burning of a tiger cub carcass) incidents.
- A qualified Resettlement Officer should be appointed by the State Government dedicated to the task of voluntary shifting of villages.
- Tourism in tiger reserves should be handled by a dedicated ACF-level ‘tourism officer’ and not by ACF or RFO from the wildlife wing whose responsibility is and should be protection.
- Stop airstrip work near Suktara village near Pench Tiger Reserve (MP)
- NTCA and Madhya Pradesh states should declare Tiger Corridors publicly sothat all other agencies should stop considering any new projects in the area.
- Issue final notifications of all the PAs which have been part of Tiger Reserves and notify proposed PAs in corridor on priority basis.( Rukhard in MP)
- Set up Special Tiger Protection Force
KARNATAKA
The Bandipur-Nagarhole landscape is part of the crucial Nilgiri Biosphere
Reserve hosting over 250 tigers, over 2000 elephants and many other rare species, besides being a source of perennial
rivers:
- The easy availability of water after construction of several dams in the landscape has altered the
cropping pattern as farmers have moved from millet (traditional) to sugarcane and other water intensive crops. Encourage the
farmers to move back to millet through subsidies or get into ecosystem farming to ensure minimal conflict with tigers and
elephants and other wild animals.
- Fill vacant forest staff posts immediately - more than 50 per cent posts are
vacant at the moment.
- Redirect all public roads that pass through tiger reserves.
- Set up Special Tiger Protection Force
- Establish eco-sensitive zones in the immediate vicinity of tiger reserves to reduce
pressure from haphazard growth in hotels and other
construction in vital wildlife corridors.
RAJASTHAN
The disappearance of the tiger from Sariska in 2004 gave a big jolt to
Rajasthan’s reputation of being an important tiger state. Since then, the protection mechanism has improved, however to
ensure a rapid and sustainable recovery the government must:
- Resettle remaining forest villages out of Ranthambhore and Sariska
- Ban heavy vehicles through State Highway13 that passes through Sariska.
- Improve forest cover and protection in Keladevi and Sawai Mansingh sanctuaries to provide space for
more tigers. Ranthambhore currently has about 40 tigers. With better habitat availability the population can double in five
years.
- Fill vacant forest staff posts immediately. Ranthambhore currently has over 50 per cent
vacancies at the field level.
- A qualified Resettlement Officer should be appointed by the State Government dedicated to the task of
voluntary shifting of villages.
- Set up Special Tiger Protection Force
MAHARASHTRA
- Notify buffer zones around tiger reserves.
- Declare an eco-sensitive zone around Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve to curb
construction of tourism complexes in existing corridors.
- NH 7 should be re-directed so that it does not cut through Pench. Nearly 9 km of the highway
currently passes through Pench.
- NH 6 also should not be widened. It passes through the corridor between Nagzria Wildlife Sanctuary
and Navegaon National Park.
- The Mansinghdev forest must be notified as a Sanctuary and be made part of the Pench
Tiger Reserve.
- Vacate the Totladoh irrigation department’s settlement that exists inside Pench
- Fill vacant forest staff posts
- Stop the mining projects in Pench(MP)-Satpuda corridor (Maharashtra)
- NTCA and Maharashtra, should declare Tiger Corridors publicly sothat all other agencies should stop
considering any new projects in the area.
- Issue final notifications of all the PAs which have been part of Tiger Reserves and notify proposed
PAs in corridor on priority basis.(Mahendri in Maharashtra)
- Set up Special Tiger Protection Force
ASSAM
Besides having the largest populations of the one horned rhino, Kaziranga
enjoys the distinction of supporting the highest density of tigers in the world. To keep them safe the government must:
- Crack down on poaching in the Kaziranga National Park and also on illegal timber and wildlife trade,
which is also known to finance militant outfits.
- Not widen the NH-37 highway, which cuts through the vital Kaziranga-Karbi Anlong.
If possible, the highway must be redirected so that it does not pass
- Declare Eco-sensitive zone around Kaziranga to reduce human conflict with tiger, rhino and
elephants
- Set up the Special Tiger Protection Force in the Manas Tiger Reserve. Insurgency and poaching have
nearly wiped out tigers and rhinos and adversely affected more than 10 endangered mammals found there.
- Set up a Special Tiger Protection Force.
TAMILNADU
- Notify the buffer area of Kalakad-Mundanthurai and also of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.
- Declare eco-sensitive zone in the vicinity of the tiger reserves to reduce both
tourism pressure and minimise man-animal conflict.
- A system of speedy and fair compensation for livestock kills and crop damage to prevent retaliatory
killing and win support of local people for wildlife conservation.
- Voluntary relocation of villages/tribal settlements out of core tiger habitats.
- Identify and protect crucial tiger and elephant corridors. The corridor passing close to
the Moyar gorge is the last remaining elephant corridor between Western and Eastern Ghats. No developmental activities must
be allowed in and around this area
- Fill vacant forest staff posts. Currently there is almost 40 per cent staff shortage.
- Set up Set up Special Tiger Protection Force.
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