With an aim to secure wildlife path, avoiding man-animal conflict and putting a tab on poaching activities, the Madhya Pradesh Forest Department is set to release its tiger corridor management plan.

 

Forest Department has drafted long-term plan to secure tiger corridors and raise awareness among villagers residing around the forest areas.

 

Though final corridor management plan is yet to be released but NGOs and wildlife foundations have started working on the ground-level to prepare the base. Last Wilderness Foundation has assigned its project co-ordinators and field officials to start working on local issues. Indrabhan Singh Bundela, field co-ordinator from Last Wilderness Foundation, said, “We have started initial task for wildlife safety and safe passage for animals in three corridors, including Ranipur Wildlife Sanctuary to Panna, Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary to Panna and Bandhavgarh-Panna Tiger Reserve corridor. Efforts are being made make the corridor safe for tigers, raise awareness among local communities, decline number of man-animal conflicts and make it encroachment free.

 

He further informed that there are around 300 villages in these three corridors and they all are very traditional. These corridors also include agriculture fields where extra effort is needed. He said tigers are spreading to neighbouring habitats and it is good for healthy population and genetic mixture. But at the same time it is very important to provide the safe path as several incidents held in the corridors. There is need to make local dwellers tiger-friendly and raise awareness among them towards the contribution of wildlife for our eco-system and environment. He further added, population of carnivore is rising in our State forest areas and they are moving out of areas in an attempt to carve out their territories.