‘Need to maintain and augment tiger corridors’

In an interview with Hindustan Times, the member-secretary of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Anup Nayak, spoke about a range of issues pertaining

In an interview with Hindustan Times, the member-secretary of the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) Anup Nayak, spoke about a range of issues pertaining to tiger conservation in Maharashtra and India. From the rise in tiger numbers as per latest estimates to directions issued to all states about safeguarding tiger habitats and mitigating conflict, Nayak stressed that the safe dispersal of tigers through human-dominated areas is the main challenge India is facing in protecting the big cat.

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India published its All India Tiger Estimation results in July with 2,967 individuals (home to 75% of the world’s tiger population) with numbers rising since 2006 at a rate of 6% annually. Current tiger population in Maharashtra stands at 312 as per the latest estimate, a 202% rise since 2006 numbers of 103.

Q. What are the challenges that come across with this 2,967 figure that may soon be listed under the Guinness record?

A. It is heartening to see the tiger numbers rising in India since 2006 at a rate of 6% annually, which indicates that management is taking place in the direct direction. Tigers need sufficient prey, good habitat free from human interference and water. The tigers also need to move from one source area to another for genetic sustainability. Hence there is a need to maintain and augment the corridors for safe migration of dispersing tigers to avoid their straying into human-dominated landscapes. That is the main challenge. We have many more areas in the country which are suitable for tigers, which need to be brought under tiger-centric management.

Q. Has India been approached by neighbouring countries or any other countries globally with tiger population to help or assist in having a similar monitoring exercise?

A. India is a global leader in tiger conservation and is home to about 75% of global tiger population in the wild. Although there are 13 countries known to have tigers in their forests, most of these countries outside India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan have reportedly very low density of tigers, which are unsustainable in future. NTCA along with Global Tiger Forum (GTF) have been providing technical support to these countries from time to time. We have assisted Bangladesh in estimation exercise as part of an existing bilateral protocol for conservation of tigers in Sundarbans.

Q. With an increase in tiger numbers, what are the responsibilities that NTCA will be looking at to keep the estimates this high for coming years?

A. Present estimation report indicates that some of the states or tiger reserves have very low population of tigers. We will ensure that management of these reserves is improved with timely site-specific technical and financial support. We will endeavour to bring suitable areas under tiger-centric management. We have already identified areas like Ratapani and Sunabeda, for which advisory has been sent to the state government concerned for processing the proposal for declaration as tiger reserves. We will also work to maintain and augment the identified corridors linking one tiger reserve (TR) to another in collaboration with other government departments.

Q. What directions will be issued to respective states to protect this tiger population?

A. States have been advised to follow the standard operating procedure (SOPs) issued by NTCA relating to tiger deaths, livestock depredation, straying of tigers in human dominated landscape and to deal with orphaned or injured tigers. States have also been advised to implement M-StrIPES, an android-based application for patrolling and monitoring of tigers in tiger-bearing areas.

Q. Man-animal conflict has been increasing in Maharashtra (as confirmed by NTCA); with over 300 tigers now in the state, how do you to plan to curb this issue of conflict going forward?

A. Human-tiger negative interaction has increased in certain places. One of the main reason for such increase is loss of connecting forests linking one source area to another. We will develop a national-level strategy for management of interface and dispersing tigers ensuring active collaboration between district administration, police and forest department.

Q. Growing instances of linear infrastructure projects continue to creep into protected forest areas adjoining tiger reserves. With the increase in numbers, this threat becomes even more, especially for the central Indian landscape. How will NTCA tackle this?

A. We have identified 32 major corridors which are already in the public domain. We have also framed mitigation strategies for linear infrastructures. We will ensure that mitigation measures are in place before linear infrastructures are created. We will insist for a multi-stakeholder consultation at the project planning stage to address negative impacts if any, on ecosystem.