On tiger trail since 1994, this group keeps wildlife sanctuaries safer

A city-based non-government organisation (NGO) has upheld wildlife conservation efforts for the past 25 years. From ensuring the safety of animals from open wells,

A city-based non-government organisation (NGO) has upheld wildlife conservation efforts for the past 25 years. From ensuring the safety of animals from open wells, protecting degraded forest patches, to establishing detailed research studies on conservation interventions along tiger corridors in central and western India, The Corbett Foundation (TCF) has been actively engaged in protecting critical wildlife landscapes in India.

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Founded in 1994 primarily to mitigate human-wildlife conflict in and around Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand, TCF’s efforts have spanned across Corbett, Kanha, Bandhavgarh, and Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserves (Madhya Pradesh), Kaziranga Tiger Reserve (Assam), and Kutch (Gujarat).

“Biodiversity conservation in human-dominated landscapes is a challenging task,” said Kedar Gore, director, TCF. “Issues such as crop damage, livestock depredation, and human casualties by wild animals impose diverse and pervasive cost on local communities living in forest fringe areas. Our attempt has been to ensure overall livelihood protection and parallel wildlife conservation.”

A major project over the past two years in Madhya Pradesh saw the fencing of 779 open wells in 21 villages along the forest fringe areas. A 2018 study estimates that at least 1,500 animals lost their lives to open wells in central India over the past decade. “Such accidental falls can be fatal. This intervention was a preventive measure with long-term conservation impact,” said Gore.

Rajnish Kumar Singh, deputy conservator of forest (wildlife), MP, said, “TCF has been a trusted and credible group actively working in MP for the past 10 years assisting the forest department through a range of activities. Collaboration with TCF and similar groups under our MP Tiger Foundation Society has given a great boost to conservation inside and outside protected areas.”

In 2018, TCF launched a tiger conservation project in Bandhavgarh Sanjay Dubri Corridor (BSDC) in MP. Over the past two years, the group restored 83 hectares of degraded forest land and planted 41,900 saplings of native tree species. In a bid to reduce use of firewood by 40%, 17 villages were provided with 1,257 energy-efficient stoves. It also installed waterholes and 22 solar-powered pumps in the wildlife corridor. Camera traps were also installed to evaluate the success of the project and conduct research on wildlife movement.

What’s more, employment generation through livelihood programmes such as vocational training in sewing, tailoring, bamboo handicraft, and basic hospitality helped 117 unemployed youths garner skills. “BSDC is a crucial ecological link that connects two tiger reserves through various fragmented habitats. Unless these areas are restored, the long-term conservation of tigers in the central Indian landscape will remain a distant dream,” added Gore.

Apart from introducing a host of measures to reduce human-elephant conflict in Kaziranga, TCF has been involved in rescues (around 60 animals annually) during annual floods in the region and provided assistance to villagers living in forest fringes.

“These kinds of interventions are welcome as it gives people a chance to participate in holistic wildlife conservation efforts. Such efforts, concentrated on capacity building, also reduce the department’s burden for areas outside protected zones,” said Nitin Kakodkar, chief wildlife warden, Maharashtra.

Another MP forest official said the department was especially impressed with TCF’s work towards mitigating human-animal conflict. “Wherever we have needed support on spreading awareness on conflict, scientific research or merely surveillance to ensure safety of wildlife, we have received huge support from TCF,” said Sanjay Shukla, additional principal chief conservator of forest, MP forest department.