An earlier plan to include only the existing area of Nagzira and Navegaon in a proposed tiger reserve, has been shelved in favour of a new and better one, by adding more areas and creating a 556.12 sq km reserve. This will be done by including adjoining forests that come under the territorial wing and the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM). Thus, an additional area of 117.68 sq km will be added to Navegaon and 151.75 sq km will … Read More
Resource Crunch Affecting Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve
Bandhavgarh tiger reserve is facing a shortage of resources and a crunch in funds is affecting the resettlement of 12 villages situated within the reserve. There is a need for a minimum of 240 staff, including forest guards, range officers and foresters to maintain the reserve, says CK Patil, the field director of the tiger reserve. The park is spread across 716 sq km and according to the last census there are 59 tigers inside, the highest density of tigers … Read More
Conservationists Oppose PIL to Ban Tiger Tourism in India
The Supreme Court is hearing a PIL filed by social activist, Ajay Dubey, which proposes banning tourism in the country’s tiger reserves. Dubey’s contention is that excessive tiger tourism is disturbing the natural habits of tigers and also points to an incident earlier this year, where a tourist vehicle struck and killed a tigress and the subsequent death of two cubs she was rearing.
Many activists and tour operators contend that tiger tourism should be better managed, but resist calling … Read More
Annual Tiger Census to Start in Arunachal Pradesh this Month
The annual tiger census in Arunachal Pradesh will be conducted by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) this month. The tiger numbers in Namdapha and Pakke, the two tiger reserves in Arunachal, would be determined using scientific methods and reputed NGOs are to be involved in the process. The NTCA will provide all the equipment necessary as well as the training required for the field staff. Camera traps are to be placed at a distance of 1 km for 35 … Read More
Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary Expanded
The Tamil Nadu forest department has issued a notification expanding the area under the Sathyamangalam Wildlife Sanctuary from the current 52,434 hectares to 1.41 lakh hectares, by adding seven reserve forests to the sanctuary. According to the last wildlife census, the sanctuary is home to one fourth of the elephant population in the state. It is also a unique habitat where tigers, elephants and blackbucks co-exist. Hyenas and vultures exist in the larger numbers here than anywhere else in the … Read More
Sariska National Park Faces Shortage of Officials
Sariska national park in Rajasthan faces a shortage of officials willing to stay on as District Forest Officers (DFO). Officials do not want to stay in the park because of the big responsibility and the possibility of more tiger deaths. So soon after appointment, they start pulling strings to get transferred to a new location. Rajasthan’s Chief Conservator of Forests, P.S. Somshekar contends that there is a shortage of senior officials who can take up the DFO post. Three out … Read More
Proposal to Include Buffer Areas of Manas Under Field Director Control
The Management Effectiveness Evaluation brought out by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has recommended that the buffer areas of the Manas Tiger Reserve under the control of Manas’ field director. Manas was notified as a tiger reserve in 2008, with 500 sq km as the core area and 2,337.10 sq km as buffer. Currently, the buffer areas are under the control of the Forest Chief of the Bodoland Territorial Council. The core … Read More
Steady Decline in Tiger’s Habitat Goes Against Tiger Estimation Report Conclusions
Tiger habitat in the country has been steadily declining in India. Between 2006 to 2010 the country has lost 20,000 sq km of tiger habitat bringing the area down to 72,800 sq km. Close to 30% of the population is outside tiger reserves and there is no real strategy to deal with the situation. The fragmented habitats and shrinking corridors between protected areas mean that young tigers have no room to disperse and create new territories. There are some bright … Read More
Environment Ministry Asks Chattisgarh to Propose Tiger Reserve Status for Guru Ghasidas National Park
The Union Environment Ministry has asked Chattisgarh to submit a proposal to the National Tiger Conservation Authority asking for Guru Ghasidas National Park to be declared a Tiger Reserve. The national park lies in between Madhya Pradesh’s Bandhavgarh and Jharkhand’s Palamau tiger reserves. It is also contiguous with Madhya Pradesh’s Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve. Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has said that this would make for the largest landscape for tiger conservation in this part of Central India. Wildlife Institute of … Read More
NTCA Sets up Ten Member Committee to Monitor Land Use Practices in Tiger Reserves
The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has set-up a 10-member expert panel to monitor land-use practices like mining, road construction and railway lines that affect tiger habitats. The panel will draw upon the best practices prevailing in other countries. The panel will examine current demands for diversion of habitat areas towards infrastructure projects in the tiger range states. It will also make recommendations for harmonising land use vis-a-vis tiger conservation in India. The panel will submit its report in six … Read More
Jairam Ramesh Pushes for More Protection for Tigers in Similipal National Park
Mr. Jairam Ramesh has written a letter to Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik asking for more safeguard measures for Tigers in Orissa. He has suggested at-least eight measures and has also asked the Orissa Chief Minister to intervene personally. The letter has been prompted by the visit of a senior official from the National Tiger Conservation Authority to Similipal National Park, who appraised Jairam Ramesh about the situation. The letter recommends that a small contingent of the state armed force … Read More
Union Environment Ministry Invites Proposal to Declare a Tiger Reserve in Goa
Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has invited a proposal from the State of Goa to declare Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary as a Tiger Reserve. In his letter to Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, the Union Minister has said that there is evidence that the tigers in Goa are not merely transient animals, but a resident population. He almost mention that there is local community support for the proposal. Mhadei is a contiguous tiger landscape to Karnataka’s Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary and Anshi Dandeli … Read More
Unsustained Tourism a Cause for Concern across Tiger Reserves
Sujit Banerji, Chairman of the Forest, Environment and Eco-tourism Committee and former Secretary, Tourism, Government of India, said this while addressing a seminar on tourism in Guwahati organized by the Tour Operators Association of Assam (TOAA) that tourism around Kaziranga would soon be shifted from the core area of this national park. “Buffer areas need to be well forested and so once wildlife starts inhabiting these areas, pressure of tourism is shifted from the core areas. There has to be … Read More
Bandipur Park Boundary
The attached image shows such a stark contrast between protected and unprotected areas in Bandipur Tiger Reserve. Land-use near protected areas like agriculture or development typically sparks human-wildlife conflict.… Read More
Tiger Wanders 280 kms Through Karnataka Forests in Search of Territory
On May 1, a young male tiger which had strayed into a betelnut plantation in gama and was stoned by a mob, attacked and killed a man before it was tranquilized by the forest officials. On May 7th, the tiger was released into the Bhadra tiger reserve. Analysis of the photographs of the tiger’s release by the Centre for Wildlife Studies (CWS), a wildlife NGO which had been camera trapping in Karnataka for around two decades, showed that the tiger … Read More
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