Tiger Reserves: Coexistence or Conflict?

The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC NBWL) has recommended promoting coexistence between forest dwellers and wildlife within the core zones of tiger reserves. This approach also includes facilitating voluntary relocation for communities willing to move. The committee's stance represents a shift from the National Tiger Conservation Authority's (NTCA) prior focus on relocation.

This policy shift addresses the complex intersection of wildlife conservation and the rights of indigenous communities who have long inhabited these landscapes. Recent data indicates approximately 730 villages with over 76,000 families still reside within core areas, with significant numbers in Central India and the Eastern Ghats.

To support informed decision-making, the SC NBWL has requested socio-economic and ecological studies. These studies will help states identify core and buffer zones accurately and allow communities to choose between residing in their current locations or relocating voluntarily.

Past NTCA directives in November 2007 led some states to hastily expand core areas, incorporating villages previously in buffer zones. However, successful coexistence models in reserves like Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserves demonstrate that tiger populations can thrive without mandatory relocation.

The government has also revised financial assistance for voluntary relocation, increasing it from ₹10 lakh to ₹15 lakh per family. This policy adjustment occurs amidst ongoing legal challenges and debates regarding the Forest Rights Act, 2006, which recognizes the rights of forest-dwelling communities.

Separately, the SC NBWL discussed strategies for managing human-leopard conflict outside protected areas. Proposals include strengthening rescue infrastructure and exploring the use of immunocontraceptives for leopard population management in areas with frequent human-leopard interactions.