One of the members of the task force, Samar Singh, was blunt in his criticism of the way tiger conservation had been tackled. "Obviously, institutions are not doing their job," Singh said.

Narain and the others, deciding how to go about their job in the three months they have been given, want to suggest an action plan to deal with poaching as fast as possible. They will take a close look at the proposed wildlife crime control bureau now in the pipeline. But they have much more on their plate.

Members hope to examine how institutions have been weakened at the Central and state levels, and at NGOs and their involvement in tiger conservation. They will look at how forest departments have been whittled down over the years and rules disrega-rded leading to forest expertise being "wasted away". And, how the strategy of relocating local communities away from reserves has pr-oved an alienating exercise which led to more degradation. Can communities inst-ead be involved in park-management of ? Can the unregulated impacts of eco-tourism be contained and this converted into an opportunity?

Last but not the least is the science of conservation, be it how the government goes about its census, the integration of research with policy or even the credibility of information on what is happening in the reserves. "We have the ability to draw upon the best scientific brains of the country," said Narain, dismissing suggestions that the task force lacks expertise.

She says basic poaching routes to Nepal, Tibet and China are known, but the trail then goes cold. International studies indicate tigers in China, North Korea, Myanmar, Laos, Sumatra and Vietnam are under threat, or close to extinction.