INTRODUCTION
|
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||
The tiger is a symbol of power and virility for the natural world, much worshiped by forest communities all over as the guardian of the tree and the forest and as a symbol of fertility, regeneration and reproduction. In traditional legends about gods, goddesses and spirits the tiger and man forged a link to defeat evil and bring light on this planet.
This deep rooted link with the tiger engulfed belief, myth and legend all over the range that it roamed till a few hundred years ago. With the rapid development of modern technologies like the gun and the advent of the 'jeep' the tiger over the last few hundred years got slaughtered over its entire range and by those who held offices of power, and ruled. This slaughter created a deep schism in the psyche of forest communities. The tiger was their god and guardian and it was being killed.
In India the slaughter of the tiger was checked only in 1970 with a complete ban on hunting. Soon after an estimate of tiger numbers was conducted and a miniscule population of around 1,800, revealed the plight of this extraordinary predator.
It is impossible to determine the extent of its population at the turn of the century but it must have been in tens of thousands. lndira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India, felt strongly about protecting India's wilder- ness areas. The tiger was getting a fresh lease of life, but would it be too late?.
It was Guy Mountfort, an international conservationist who, at a joint meeting of IUCN and the World Wildlife Fund, proposed an international effort to create effective and fully equipped reserves for the long-term survival of the tiger. He also suggested that all efforts and resources be concentrated on the race of tigers that was still found in relatively large numbers, namely the India subspecies or royal Bengal tiger. The resources required were some $400,000 and the project was accepted and called 'Operation Tiger'.
A special committee was created by lndira Gandhi to coordinate action in India under the chairmanship of Dr. Karan Singh. The first five-year budget envisaged an expenditure of nearly 4 crores by the Indian Government. Similar encouragement was received from the King of Nepal and the President of Bangladesh, and the neighboring Himalayan state of Bhutan quickly added thier support, ensuring the contiguous protection of habitat for the survival of this species.
The subcontinent was at last taking positive action to protect the royal Bengal tiger. The WWF's international appeal raised more than 800,000 pounds in 18 months. The original 'Tiger Task Force' of 1972 had selected nine areas to become special reserves, and in 1973 'Project Tiger' was inaugurated in Corbett National Park in Uttar Pradesh, under the directorship of Kailash Sankhala.
All over the world, public awareness and sensitivity rallied to the cause of the tiger's conservation. Real animal furs lost their social importance as more and more people adopted the conservationist view. Fashions changed, and in many countries the wearing of skins from rare wild animals became more likely to attract anger and hostility than the envy and admiration, of earlier years.
With the money that came in to the WWF an infrastructure and a pool of equipment was created in the reserves. The Fund supplied forty vehicles, two launches for the Sun- darbans mangrove swamps straddling the borders of liidia and Bangladesh, complete radio and wireless networks for several reserves, tractors, telemetry and capture equipment, and other research apparatus such as cameras, binoculars and night lenses. For the tiger, it was the first ray of hope.
The Indian Government by allocating funds regularly to Project -Tiger ensured that top priority was given to these areas of rich biodiversity. In many ways saving the tiger meant saving the total biodiversity of these areas. The project apart from conserving the tiger, also protects a wide spectrum of species from the lowest invertebrates to the mighty elephant. So has been the case with the survival and preservation of floral communities. This is the largest conservation effort spearheaded by the Indian government in the world. Conceived, formulated and executed by indigenous effort and manpower. Over the last 20 years 43 crores have been provided as central assistance to the states who in turn placed matching grants for recurring expenses in addition to providing money from non-plan for routine works.
Today 20 years later there are 19 Project Tiger Reserves encompassing a total area of 29,716 sq. kms with a population of 1,327 tigers (estimates from 1989 census of tigers).
In 1972 there were 268 tigers within nine reserves. The population has increased, and till the mid-eighties (1984) the population of tigers reached 1121 in seventeen reserves. By the end of the eighties many serious problems started afflicting our Project Tiger Reserves.
The resultant increase in biotic pressure, since firewood, timber and pasture are es- sential for the very survival of man, has been exceedingly heavy. Over and above this an ever increasing demand due to market forces and consumerism, were changing a way of life and exacting a pressure on natural resource, the effect of the latter much more severe than the former. Despite these limitations these areas are relatively much better than other forested tracts in India.
The Forest survey of India in its vegetation monitoring of 16 tiger reserves reveals between 1983-1989 some of the progression and regression in the status of vegetative cover in the tiger reserves.
The pressures of poaching have also increased especially due to the use of tiger bones for eastern medicinal derivatives. The South-East Asian countries have shown sharp declines in their tiger numbers and the demand for bones forces poaching gangs in India to not only meet the supply but at extraordinary profits. This is a direct external threat to species survival.
Today political activists seem to have made some Project-Tiger reserves a target for their refuge and actions.
With all the above pressures wildlife management has suffered. Political and bureaucratic constraints, have probably further agravated the problem.
Within all these limitations and drawbacks a team of forest personnel throughout the 19 tiger reserves in India have tried to do their level best to manage and protect these areas.
All in all Project Tiger faces a new set of serious problems. Project Tiger saved the tiger from extinction in the nick of time but over 20 years it is clear that expanding human populations, a new way of life based on alien models, and the resultant effect on natural resources has created fresh problems that indicate danger for the tiger. Militancy and poaching only add fuel to the fire.
This is a serious and critical moment in the history of tiger conservation. In this review an attempt is being made to look into all the tiger reserves dispassionately, identify the major problems and make a determined and fresh effort to ensure the future of the tiger.