Tribal people in Bargur Hills want their rights protected before creation of new tiger reserve
The Hindu
At a meeting on Thursday, tribal communities and social welfare organisations discussed the potential loss of rights of forest dwellers, if the reserve came up
Tribal people and other forest dwellers living in Bargur hills in Anthiyur Union have urged the State government to ensure their traditional rights are protected, before the creation of a new tiger reserve in the Erode Forest Division.
The Tamil Nadu Forest Department is in the process of drafting a proposal to create a new tiger reserve in the division that is spread over 82,144 hectares and is home to 15-20 tigers, elephants, leopards and other wild animals. The proposal has created panic among the people in the hill area who depend on the forests for their livelihoods: they claim that their traditional rights will be curtailed.