Community policing helps in conservation of wildlife

Business Line , Thursday, August 26, 2010
Correspondent :
If India needs to protect its wildlife and environment it should better enhance its focus on improving the basic development indicators such as education, health and livelihood of the people, felt a symposium on “The Future of the Bengal Tiger” organised by Sanctuary Asia here on Wednesday.

The Tiger reserve project in the Sunderbans has been rewarded with a remarkable result as the community living next to the reserved forest is now taking care to protect wildlife, most importantly the Royal Bengal Tiger often blamed for infringing into human habitats.

Of course, the big cats are still straying into human habitat with little regard for the administrative boundaries, as they did for ages – may be as part of their natural instinct or because their natural habitat has been infringed upon by people through destruction of forest cover and human settlement. What has changed in the last decade is the attitude of those living close to the forest towards the tiger.

Instead of killing the tiger or other wildlife, they are taking effort, even without the help of the forest officials, to capture the straying animal and release it back to the nature. The incidence of poaching and killing animals has dropped to negligible levels during the last five six years.

The change is so striking, if not glaring, that it receives appreciation from the experts, NGOs, civil society working in the Sunderbans.

Hironmoy Patra, once an educated unemployed Amlamethi in Gosaba block located in close proximity to the reserve forest, is now the prime mover behind an “eco-development committee” of villagers affiliated with the Project authorities. The committee runs a primary school for 100, organises health checkups in this remote area with financial support from the Tiger Project, raising awareness among the locals for the wildlife.

The eco-development committee in close co-ordination with the forest protection committees (also comprises the locals and affiliated by the forest officials) takes a lead role in ensuring the safety of the straying animal and helping forest officials to capture and release them back to the nature.

Amlamethi is not an exception. In all, there are 15 eco-development committees and 11 forest committees working for community development and protection of wildlife in the fringe areas of the reserve forest. The result of this community policing, is reportedly most dramatic in Jharkhali area where poaching was once rampant.

However, that is not the problem. Forest officials and NGOs are unanimous that the low incidence of conviction of poachers or violators of wildlife acts are a big dampener to protection initiatives. The finger is pointed to the politicians.

“The violators are backed by the politicians and get away with even the gravest crimes against nature or wildlife. You need to punish them to create instance,” said Amal Mistry working for an NGO n Bali village in the Sunderbans.

 
SOURCE : http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/2010/08/26/stories/2010082651672000.htm
 


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