Forest dept. moots conservation reserve in Tadoba-Kawal tiger corridor

The Telangana Forest Department is considering the proposal for declaring the areas constituting the tiger corridor between the Tadoba-Andhrari Tiger Reserve

The Telangana Forest Department is considering the proposal for declaring the areas constituting the tiger corridor between the Tadoba-Andhrari Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra and the Kawal Tiger Reserve in Mancherial district of Telangana State as a Conservation Reserve, with the aim to improve security and surveillance.

Conservation and community reserves are two more protected areas appended to the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 in 2002, in addition to Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park. As per the Section 36(A) of the Act, the State government may declare any areas owned by it, particularly in areas adjacent to the national parks and sanctuaries and those areas which link one protected area with another, as conservation reserve for protecting landscapes, seascapes, flora and fauna and their habitat.

“The 1,200-square-kilometre corridor between Tadoba and Kawal is a fit case for declaration as conservation reserve because it has become the haven for spillover tiger population from Maharashtra. We have already made a request to the State government, and got a positive response,” said an official under the condition of anonymity.

Once approved in principle, the proposal will have to be discussed and approved in the State Board for Wildlife. The key issue in declaration of a conservation reserve is the precondition of having consultation with the local communities. Considering the troubled relations between the foresters and the local communities in the corridor area, it might prove to be a Herculean task for the government to conduct public consultation without protests.

Recently, two tigers were found dead in close proximity of each other in Kagaznagar mandal of Kumaram Bheem Asifabad district, and officials suspect poisoning by local villagers as the likely cause. Three persons, including a minor, were nabbed after preliminary investigation, all of them local tribals.

The Act stipulates constitution of a conservation reserve management committee in which membership is to be provided to one representative from each village panchayat in whose jurisdiction the reserve is located. Three representatives from non-government organisations and one representative each from the departments of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, besides the member-secretary who will be the representative from the Forest or Wildlife wing will constitute the other members.

“We need to take the local communities into confidence by assuring them livelihoods through eco-tourism activities. We have a successful model of eco-tourism with community participation in Amrabad Tiger Reserve, which can be replicated here. Movement of tourists in the key areas of the forest will also help better protection by warding off illegal poaching and smuggling activities,” says the official.