BANGALORE: Eight months after the National Tiger Conservation Authority was constituted and it was proposed that States should set up their own Steering Committees to oversee the implementation of the tiger conservation project, the Karnataka Government is ready to announce the constitution of the committee, headed by the Chief Minister.

The proposal to constitute the Steering Committee was forwarded to the Government six months ago, and the announcement would be made shortly, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) A.K. Varma told The Hindu .

Apart from the Chief Minister as its chairman, the Forest Minister will be the vice-chairman, and the Principal Secretaries of the departments of Forests, Tribal Welfare (earlier the Directorate of Tribal Welfare) and Social Welfare will be members.

The Authority itself was constituted after the Tiger Task Force headed by Sunita Narain looked into the reasons for the alarming rate at which tigers in the wild were disappearing from habitats, particular the 28 Project Tiger Reserves. Setting up the Authority to ensure coordination, monitoring and protection of tigers in the States was the main recommendation of the Task Force.

Funds sought

Karnataka has sought Rs. 14 crore for implementing the tiger conservation programme in the four Project Tiger Reserves: Bandipur, Nagarahole, Bhadra and the recent addition, Anshi National Park. This is nearly twice the amount that the tiger reserves were being provided under Centrally sponsored schemes.

The State Government is expected to make a matching allocation and create a Tiger Conservation Fund, and Rs. 1.5 crore has been released so far.

The State Government is expected to make a matching allocation and coordinate with the Authority on protection measures, including a future conservation plan, tiger population estimation, disease surveillance and mortality survey, apart from eco-development

Mr. Varma said the tiger population in Karnataka was considered to be a "healthy". The State Government had successfully carried out three or four rehabilitation and resettlement programmes for forest-dwellers who voluntarily moved out of the protected areas.

The Forest Department enjoys a good rapport with non-governmental organisations engaged in studying tiger biology and science of conservation and has been recognised at the national and international levels for initiatives to strengthen forest protection measures to minimise poaching and destruction of habitat, Mr. Varma said.

Research

On the research front, the Forest Department is currently awaiting the conclusion of population estimation of tigers by the Wildlife Conservation Society, which is likely in a few weeks. Mr. Varma said this would dictate how initiatives to protect the tiger habitat and ensure a healthy predator-prey ratio, resolve livelihood issues of forest-dwellers and even deploy them for protection could be designed.

There are a few in-house research projects, and the department is coordinating with the Dehra Dun-based Wildlife Institute of India on a few other research projects.