Efforts are underfoot to shift people living in the protected forest areas to elsewhere with a view to saving wildlife. On the initiative of the Centre and Madhya Pradesh Government, efforts are being undertaken in Panna Tiger Reserve under the direction of park director G Krishnamurthy.
The effort of Panna Tiger Reserve would prove to be a milestone in saving the wildlife.
Panna Tiger Reserve's assistant director VK Nagriya says that in the 18th century tigers and leopards were found in large number. However, due to poaching and hunting which started in the year 1870 the number of big cats started dwindling.
Clearance of forests for agricultural purposes also posed a great danger to these species. At one time, it was feared that the saving forests and wildlife would become a stupendous task.
Experts feel that bio-diversity is fast ending in the protected areas, since these are surrounded by agricultural lands. Nagriya said it is necessary for wild animals to move from one area to another for their survival. Otherwise, the danger of their extinction looms large, he aadded.
However, the rapid urbanisation have pushed these animals to the level of extinction.
With a view to averting this danger, people living in the protected areas are being shifted to non-protected areas.
Many reserve projects have also been started in the same direction. In 1981 Panna National Park came into existence. Later in 1994, the park was converted in Project Tiger Reserve with a view to conserving tigers. This is the fifth Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh and 22nd in the country.
