Debate over tiger tourism in core areas hots up

The Pioneer , Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Correspondent :
The arrival of the wildlife watchers in the debate is a welcome change of scene, especially as they bring with them a largely human angle which was missing so far, writes Vivek Trivedi

At a time when tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh — the striped cat capital of the country — have all but dug in their claws over sustainable tourism inside core areas at these national parks, and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) — the apex body responsible for ensuring the longevity of the species — has reiterated a stand to the contrary, saying tourists have to be kept out and away from these sanctums, other stakeholders like environmental activists too have joined the debate.

Amid ongoing efforts by either side to press for the acceptance of their views on the matter, the arrival of the wildlife watchers in the debate is a welcome change of scene, especially as they bring with them a largely human angle, which has been missing from the didactic stances adopted by the State Forest Department and the NTCA.

The debate recently reached a peak after an environmental group filed a petition before the Jabalpur High Court, which will now deliver the verdict in favour of one of the two sides, even as the NTCA seems to have gained an edge over the State Forest Department by finding support from a larger list of wildlife enthusiasts.

Various groups and individuals with stakes in environmental and conservation efforts have been voicing their concerns over the matter for several months now, and the latest to join the fray is Pushpraj Singh, the scion of the erstwhile princely state of Rewa, which donated huge forest tracts for the establishment of the Bandhavgarh National Park, arguably, one of the better managed tiger sanctuaries in the country.

Singh, who is also the chairman of Bandhavgarh Foundation, says the move to refrain tiger tourism in the leading and safe national parks of the State is bizarre, before going on to add that the death of a tigress at the park in the month of May was sad and unfortunate.

The death of the big cat had stirred local residents, wildlife enthusiasts, NGOs, park tour guides and also resort owners, who raised din over the matter, saying the incident was a result of a fault on part of the Forest Department in the incident. Considering the relentless pressure, the Centre later dispatched the Director Project Tiger to Bandhavgarh to conduct an enquiry into the death.

While in Bandhavgarh, the Project Tiger official convened a round table meeting with many of the stakeholders and Forest Department officials responsible for the park, before concluding that the death of the tigress was due to the Forest Department. He also agreed to a CBI enquiry into the incident, which is probably still awaited.

"In the process of these enquiries, on behalf of the Bandhavgarh Foundation, I had said that such happenings in Bandhavgarh are of great concern and this safe haven will soon be ruined," says Singh.

He adds that he had also suggested to the keep talks afloat over the NTCA move to banish tourists from core areas, as such a move would not be a viable solution to the problem.

Triggering fresh concerns in the ongoing debate; Singh expresses apprehension that bringing tourism to an abrupt end at the national parks could heighten the threat posed by Maoism, especially around Bandhavgarh.

He says that Bandhavgarh logistically fits like a sandwich between Singrauli (coal mine area) belt of Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Mandla, which serves as the corridor to Kanha National Park, along with Achanakmar in Chhattisgarh. All very sensitive zones of Maoist movement.

"Any wrong decision here will tear up the soft fabric that bonds the Tiger and Maost (human problem)," says Singh.

The Bandhavgarh Foundation chairman further claims that it must be known that due to tourism, the area which covers about 20-30 villages and some relatively larger towns like Manpur or Barahi, about 1,000 families directly depend on the tourism trade, as they either work for the resorts, or forest and allied services.

He says that the move would also throttle the aspirations of young enthusiastic entrepreneurs who have made their lifetime investments in the infrastructures like the Gypsy or other cars, or those who have spent a fortune to establish small markets/shops and apartments to host the economy tourists.

He contends that most of such investments were made after the entrepreneurs dissolved permanent assets to raise the capital, or took huge loans to fund their business ventures. The Rewa royal further stresses that a refrain on tourism will find these businessmen in deep trouble and push them into economic oblivion.

The heir expressed fears that abolishing tourism could not only leave the local youth in grave frustration, but may even see the "positive brigade" currently engaged in pro-big cat efforts turn against them with a vengeance.

"And suddenly there will be an army of youth, who having lost their jobs, may seek shelter in Maoism," he says, touching off an alarm among stakeholders and officials.

The chairman Bandhavgarh Foundation says that it is beyond any doubt that tourism in Bandhavgarh or as a matter of fact in Kanha is not affecting the tigers at all, barring a few basic things that need to be altered or prevented, but that can be done with proper management, which is ready to hold positive talks with locals, NGOs or even local experts who are aware of ground realities.

Reminiscing over the turnaround that compelled his father to hang up his rifle and give up game hunting in 1967-68, Singh says his father, Martand Singh, had decided this even after capturing the white tiger Mohan, who was found in the wild in the year 1951.

"My father was of the view that shooting was not a good option unless and until there was a serious problem or requirement for the villagers and it (shooting) became an absolute must," informs Singh.

He recalls that those days not many rural people in Rewa had neither the arms nor the expertise to shoot in order to protect against the wild beasts.

Singh says that his father had perhaps become more spiritual or Adhyatmik and just realised that it was not worth killing wild animals.

"Though he had a great flair for conservation and he even had kept small animals like rabbits, peacock and birds in his abode named Khakri, which stands opposite the Govindgarh Lake, some 20 km from Rewa."

The Bandhavgarh Foundation chairman further said that his father had called on then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi — a keen wildlife patron — and sought her intervention to make Bandhavgarh a Tiger Safari. Thus the gorgeous forests of Bandhavagrh were converted into a national park in 1968, where the first white tiger Mohan was spotted.

Main focus on tigers' problems

The interest of Pushpraj Singh toward the protection of wildlife and environment and the welfare of the tribals found expression in the formation of the Bandhavgarh Foundation Trust in the year 1995-56.

However, this Trust mainly focused on the problems of tigers and their habitat with Bandhavgarh as its focal area. At that time there a major threat loomed over the furure of the tigers in Bandhavgarh, the situation was only worsened after the poaching of Sita, a world famous tigress, who even made it to the front cover of the National Geographic magazine.

'Mukti Sena', a Maoist offshoot was also a severe threat, as their forest forays made it pertinent to build a stronger rapport with forest conservators and villagers to check their growth in the area.

This Foundation thus became a link and affectively began working with a dynamic working trustee, from Shahdol. The unstinting efforts of the trust finally bore positive result, when Bandhavgarh caught the eye of agencies like WWF and the Godrej Foundation.

 
SOURCE : http://www.dailypioneer.com/298761/Debate-over-tiger-tourism-in-core-areas-hots-up.html
 


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