While 2013 has lost the highest number of 42 tigers in the last seven years through poaching, the reason for this can be attributed to loss in tiger habitat areas in the country. According to a report prepared by National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the tiger occupancy area has shrunk by 12,000 sq kms during four years from 2006- 2010, even though there is a rise in tiger population during the corresponding period.
The report, ‘Monitoring tigers, co-predators, prey and their habitats’ has mentioned that the area of tiger occupancy has reduced from of 94,000 sq kms in 2006, to 82,000 sq kms in 2010 stretching across the tiger-bearing States. It points out that the loss in area is equivalent to three times the area of entire State of Goa (3,702 sq km). Ironically vis a vis, the number of tigers has gone up from 1,411 in 2006 to 1,706 in 2010.
Responding to this trend, sources in NTCA feared that such a situation is likely to have dangerous repercussions in conservation of big cats. “The increase in tiger numbers shows good management of tiger reserves and protected areas but it has lost ground in connecting corridors, to which the report is an indicator”, said the sources.
“The number of tigers going up in a lesser habitat area increases chances of man tiger conflicts and straying of tigers in human landscape more frequently. Such situations have been repeatedly witnessed in Chandrapur district and hence protecting corridors is the only solution,” said Bandu Dhotre, wildlife activist heading Eco Pro, NGO that works for wildlife protection.
In fact, Bandhu had even observed a fast to ensure tiger protection especially outside the protected areas in 2012. Further, depletion of prey base in reduced habitat areas will also result in livestock loss in the surrounding villages by the straying big cats, thereby also increasing chances of their revenge killings by the local villagers. Besides, one cannot rule out the chances of territorial in fighting amongst tiger too and also destruction of gene pool, pointed the experts.
A senior wildlife official from Environment Ministry said, reducing habitat area and increasing number of big cats is resulting in growing number of their spill over population which are being pushed out of the Protected Areas (PA). In their quest for territory, they may land up in the adjoining reserved forests/ corridors where protection mechanisms are not as strong as within the PA. This makes them vulnerable to poaching, as explained by the figures in 2013.
Hence, the need of the hour, according to expert is to strengthen the protocol to handle such growing incidents of straying of tigers from PA’s. Besides, serious efforts need to be made on habitat restoration, besides ensuring better protection of corridors and non-protected areas along with enhanced public and political support for conservation. It is time to consider the local villages in the corridor villagers as well, if such connecting links have to be preserved and implement eco developed schemes there, they said.
