Forest Deptt unfazed even after steep decline in tiger population

 

 

 

Chhattisgarh has turned into a graveyard for wild animals as the steep decline in the Tiger population, which has gone down by 59 per cent, is an indication. But even after this reported steep decline, there seems to be no urgency in Forest Department to begin the phase-IV of monitoring under Tiger Estimation Programme or take necessary measures for recovery of endangered species.

Poaching of tigers, leopard and other wild animals is going on unabated as the Forest Department is reeling under shortage of trained manpower, and infrastructure resulting in lack of monitoring. In just last four years, the population of wild tigers drastically decreased from 46 to 19 as revealed by Tiger Estimation Survey. During the same period, Department had confiscated 13 tiger pelts from different regions of State, but not a single poacher has been taken through the course of law and then to the jail. Total 21 tiger hides and 50 leopard hides were recovered till December 2019.

Chhattisgarh also has the worst Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) score of last four cycles i.e. from 2006 to 2018 for following reasons: Anthropogenic pressure adversely impacted on prey base of big cats across all PAs of State. No proper monitoring and estimation was done across all tiger habitats of State. After 2018, till date Phase IV monitoring has not started in any of the tiger occupied territories. Conservation measures were not even implemented in areas that are not affected by left wing extremism (LWE). Although, Department claims that some tiger reserves are affected by LWE, they still draw funds for those areas and work were carried out inside core areas. Staff were playing lame in these areas and the illegal encroachment by outsiders from Odisha, Madhya Pradesh for the sake of Forest Rights Act titles. Recently so many encroachment cases were reported from Gariyaband district, alone. Forest Rights Act titles on encroachments made after December 13, 2005, have come as a bane for tiger as Chhattisgarh alone has granted 20% (386206) of total FRA titles (1759955) distributed across India.

Enforcement of Wild Life Protection Act is all but non-existing as so many crimes where Schedule-1 animals were brutally killed by lynching, poisoning or electrocution have gone unpunished. Notably, not a single person was charged or tried for the crimes listed as following- 1) Tiger beaten to death in Bakrutola, Rajnandgaon case, 2) Tiger body found in Bhoramdeo Sanctuary, 3) Tiger dead found in Kawardha, Kanker, Gariyaband, Jabalpur in last ten years.

While there is certainly shortage of trained staff, there are many Chhattisgarh-based NGOs and individual experts, which could have been utilised by the department, but they chose to ignore them. Department also doesn’t have any interest for investing in research in protected forests despite getting huge funds from Union Government under the CAMPA scheme.

Even as the Forest Department is struggling to manage the three tiger reserves, fourth one is already on anvil. Even when the state has so much of awareness, educated tribal communities who are ready to work for conservation but department and government was playing numb and state is losing its precious wildlife.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) Wildlife Atul Shukla speaking to The Hitavada repudiated the report of not conducting fourth phase of tiger monitoring and estimation, saying it’s still going on. He also told that the Housing Board has also prepared maps and estimate for homes to be built for the 3 villages slated to be shifted outside the core area of Achanakmar Tiger Reserve and now they are only waiting for approval from Tribal Advisory Committee. Also, they have written to State Government for the recruitment of trained staff so as increase MEE score and they can move ahead with the Guru Ghasidas and Tamor-Pingla Tiger Reserve.