NAGPUR: They can assist tracking of the movement of wild animals, prepare spatial maps of forests, and even help reduce poaching.

But several global positioning system (GPS) sets available with the forest department are not being used effectively, thanks to the lack of training to the field staff.

An easy-to-use portable instrument, the GPS set is also used to determine and locate points in nature and obtain their surveying, to optimise and regularise tracings from repeated passages along the same route.

According top forest officials, the GPS enables automatic determination of the geographic coordinates for any observation point by a portable receiver which promptly elaborates spatial positioning data through satellites.

Sources informed that the central government had given around 70-80 GPS sets — each costing around Rs 15,000 — to every forest division in 2006 during the census organised to monitor prey base, predators and its habitat.

However, barring reserves like Pench, Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) and Melghat and Allapalli to state a few, the GPS sets are reportedly gathering dust by the other divisions, including territorial areas.

Although lack of training is the main reason, the GPS sets are also not used by some foresters as they fear they might damage the costly equipment. “Many RFOs don’t use it as they are not trained and keep it in lock and key,” a source said.

In naxal-hit areas also, some foresters do not use the equipment as there is a fear that the extremists may snatch it away and misuse it to carry out subversive activities.

When contacted, G K Vashisth, assistant conservator of forest (ACF), TATR, told TOI that Tadoba first started using GPS methodology in 2001 and most of guards here know its use. He suggested specific training programme for the grassroots staffers at ranger colleges in the state on the lines of Andhra Pradesh.

The ACF further informed that Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehra Dun, provides GPS training to range forest officers (RFOs) once in every two-three months. “We are using the methodology effectively and our latest data has been obtained from GPS technology,” he added.

A top forest official said: “As RFOs and guards are not trained, most of the divisions don’t use it. Regular use of such modern equipment can help share important information by one and all.

You can also know location of a tiger from its scat and way-points. It will also benefit for the purpose of mapping and correct analysis which will come handy for effective wildlife management.”