Plan to divide Chanda Circle into 4 zones to mitigate man-animal conflict

By Kaushik Bhattacharya

Taking cognisance of the increasing tiger population and to mitigate man-animal conflict in Chandrapur district, Forest Department has proposed to divide Chandrapur Circle into four zones. Brahmapuri, Central Chanda and Chandrapur divisions of the Forest Department are proposed to be divide to create these four zones. The State Wildlife Board has given green signal to the proposed map of the four zones and it has now been tabled before the State Government for implementation.

Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR), Ghodazari Wildlife Sanctuary (GWLS) and Kanhargaon Wildlife Sanctuary (KWLS) have been included in Zone 1; corridors around TATR, Ballarpur, Dhaba and Virur, Saoli, Chichpalli, North Brahmapuri, South Brahmapuri would be under Zone 2; other than corridor areas of Dhaba, Vansadi, Rajura, Virur and Ballarpur have been included in zone 3; and Chandrapur Super Thermal Power Station (CSTPS), mines of WCL, AML, Ordnance Factory Chandrapur and Central Chanda Division are in Zone 4.

“There are 350 tigers in Maharashtra of which more than 200 are in Chandrapur district. It is good that tiger population has increased in the State but man-animal conflicts also have increased. As a result, Chandrapur tops in man-animal conflicts,” Sunil Limaye, PCCF (Wildlife) told The Hitavada.

“To mitigate the conflict and to balance tiger population in Chandrapur we have come up with this plan. These four zones will help the department to concentrate on the root cause of the issue,”

said Limaye. In Zone 1, the department will emphasise on development of active alert system using network-linked camera traps that shall serve as an early warning system. It will assist in live-monitoring of tigers that reside near human habitations.

Community nature conservancy will be promoted in areas where farming has become impractical and uneconomical due to heavy damage by wildlife. In Zone 2, the department will work on securing the degraded corridors by planting bamboo and native tree species and through assisted natural regeneration (ANR).

Similarly, whenever or wherever a project in any other district of Maharashtra is cleared under Forest Conservation Act, the corresponding Compensatory Afforestation (CA) land would be taken up in the corridor areas of Chandrapur district on priority. Subsequently, bamboo and native tree species should be planted on that land to strengthen the corridor.

The Zone 3 will have to be prioritised for deployment of individually owned, low-cost solar fences around agriculture land. Subsidies can be given to encourage large-scale adoption. “Brahmapuri comes under Zone 3 and the conservation translocation of young tigers that disperse into the Zone 3 can be considered for translocation. We are going to shift tigers from Brahmapuri to Nagzira soon under the same plan,” told Limaye. He also said that translocation would take place first in Nagzira then Navegaon and then in Sahyadri Tiger Reserve.

Presence of tigers near thermal power stations, coal mines and Ordnance Factory area is a big threat to animals as well as for human. Meanwhile, such premises of Chandrapur district are included in Zone 4, said Limaye.

“Firstly a plan has to be prepared in collaboration with such projects and other industries so that their areas are made wildlife unfriendly by removal of Prosopis and other weed. The industry or district administration should make budgetary provisions to put animal-proof fences to prevent entry of large carnivores,” said the PCCF.