India to use drones to keep eye on poachers in tiger reserves

The Times of India , Thursday, March 19, 2015
Correspondent : Vishwa Mohan

NEW DELHI: India, a home to more than 60% of the world's tiger population, will use drone to keep eye on poachers.

The government announced this mode of e-surveillance to protect the country's tiger population on Wednesday while issuing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for active management towards rehabilitation of tigers and orphan tiger cubs.

Announcing the move, Union environment and forests minister Prakash Javadekar said since the poaching of tigers had become an issue of concern in view of tigers' deaths, the "introduction of e-surveillance by drone" would be a strategic intervention for the preservation of tiger population.

He said the introduction of voluntary relocation program by the ministry would have a balanced approach to protect the tiger population.

"At the same time, people's surveillance on the line would also lead to better management," he said while releasing the SOPs and added that India, having highest number of tigers in the world, needed a systematic approach to preserve the wild species.

The recent census has put the figure of tiger population in India at 2,226 in 2014 - which is nearly 30% increase over its previous count in 2011.

Speaking on the occasion, the environment and forests secretary Ashok Lavasa said the ministry had taken initiative to declare 102 eco-sensitive zones with reference to geo-sensitive maps. He also stressed the need to find ways to resolve human animal conflict.

To ensure that straying tigers are handled in the most appropriate manner to avoid casualty or injury to human beings, tiger, cattle and property, the SOPs provide basic minimum steps which are required to be taken at the field level (tiger reserve or elsewhere) for dealing with incidents of rehabilitation of tigers, orphan tiger cubs or tiger straying in human dominated landscapes.

The SOPs apply to all forest field formations including tiger reserves besides other areas where such incidents occur.

In order to protect tiger population, the government had in 1973 launched 'Project Tiger'. From nine tiger reserves since its formative years, the Project Tiger coverage has now increased to 47 at present, spread out in 18 of India's tiger range states which is around 2.08% of the geographical area of our country.

The 'Project Tiger' aims to foster an exclusive tiger agenda in the core areas of tiger reserves, with an inclusive people oriented agenda in the buffer zones.

 
SOURCE : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/environment/India-to-use-drones-to-keep-eye-on-poachers-in-tiger-reserves/articleshow/46609261.cms
 


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