Goodbye, Mr Stripes

Agrees Dr Rajesh Gopal, director, PT: 8216;8216;Pugmark census depend so much on officials8217; efforts and integrity that they always leave room for doubt. But we have developed a Tiger Monitoring Information System TMIS with the help of the Global Imaging System. Besides, A Tiger Atlas of India is being developed.8217;8217; But Sen raises an uncomfortable question: 8216;8216;Nobody denies the merit of these initiatives. But when we finally have a micro-map of Tiger India, will there be any tiger left?8217;8217;

Take Manas TR, for example. Militants took over the park in the early 8217;90s, barring forest officials till recently. But in every census, Manas reported a healthy tiger population. Same is the story of Palamau in Bihar or Indravati in Chhattisgarh. On last count, these three PTs together claimed about 125 tigers.

In Sariska, where desperate combing operations are on, no one believes that 15-25 tigers vanished in one season. There were never that many.

While admitting the problems of working in a federal set-up, Dr Gopal claims PT will acknowledge the real numbers when TMIS is in place. It8217;s a step that calls for courage, since sources in his own directorate realistically put the total tiger population in India at about 1,000, if not 700.

State of Apathy
COMPOUNDING the official desire to inflate figures is the absence of real political will to save the tiger. Every year, Central funds go back unutilised from most reserve forests as states cannot match their shares.

8216;8216;Some states8212;like Bihar, Assam, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Arunachal8212;are a problem. Some other states release funds but delay it so much that not much is utilised. We try to push them. But in a democracy, you can8217;t force anyone,8217;8217; says Dr Gopal.

Consider Tamil Nadu. The Centre releases funds in August; state funds follow only next March. The delay, forest officials admit, 8216;8216;cripples the day-to-day administration8217;8217; of Kalakkad-Mundanthurai, the lone PT reserve here. Also, the state government8217;s freeze on new recruitments has stymied any effort at personnel enhancement.

There is no dearth of Central funds though, says Dr Gopal. The 10th Plan earmarks Rs 800 crore for Forests; Project Tiger8217;s share is a hefty Rs 150 crore, up from Rs 70 crore it got in the 9th Plan. At the same time, Central investment for tiger reserves remains an abysmal Rs 75/sq km per year.

The indifference of the states is also evident from hundreds of vacancies in ground staff. While all forests in India urgently need additional staff sanction, in many states, there has been no recruitment since the 8217;80s. Result: The average age of forest guards in India is above 50. They or their families enjoy little or no protection from the state if they die or suffer injuries fighting poachers. If they use firearms, they get entangled in legal cases which they need to fight out on their own.

Yet, ironically, they are the gatekeepers for the ongoing battle against poachers. Says Bittu Sehgal, editor, Sanctuary Asia: 8216;8216;To increase tiger population, we need foolproof plans to stop poaching. States have to ensure forest guards and officers are well aided and protected if they do their job well.8217;8217;

Add other logistical issues like insufficient vehicles, arms and communication facilities. And you have an ageing, ill-equipped, demoralised force defending India8217;s most precious animal against sophisticated poachers with state-of-the-art gadgets.

Exemplary, inspirational leadership could perhaps take care of some of these issues. But most of India8217;s state-appointed TR managers are not trained in wildlife. Dr Gopal rues the trend: 8216;8216;You have to have committed officers who understand wildlife problems and enjoy working in jungles. Skill upgradation down the line is a must.8217;8217;

The genes won8217;t fit
BUT if the states care to intervene in wildlife management, it8217;s often to further frustrate park management. Consider Rajasthan Forest Minister Laxmi Narain Dave. On June 19 last year, he stripped DFOs of the power of the DFOs to shift ground staff even within the same reserve.

Says Dave: 8216;8216;There were several weaknesses in the system being followed by the administrators of the parks. So I used my discretionary powers to control the posting of forest guards. We live in the age of faxes and phones. DFOs can contact Jaipur anytime they want.8217;8217;

Post-Sariska, some of these powers have been restored to DFOs, enabling them to move staff around to fill up vacancies in the parks. But it serves as a powerful reminder of the whims that control wildlife management.

Admitting these are serious issues, Dr Gopal says he is planning to use information technology 8216;8216;effectively8217;8217; in wildlife protection and crime risk management. 8216;8216;We are ensuring effective data flow from every range to PT directorate and preparing even local crime dossiers,8217;8217; he says. But will he guarantee that another Sariska won8217;t happen? 8216;8216;Searches are still on in Sariska,8217;8217; he says, refusing to admit to the crisis.

But even if a few tigers are found in Sariska, inbreeding ensures they will not really be insurance for the future. Even Ranthambhore tigers, irrespective of their population size, are ultimately doomed because of genetic imbalances, say experts.

In Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh or Orissa, on the other hand, even 10 tigers make for a more effective genetic pool, since their genes can travel to different habitat through jungle corridors. In Rajasthan, on the other hand, the forest pockets have no continuity.

Dr Gopal realises the problem: 8216;8216;Much of the species loss is due to the fragmentation of habitat. We need safe corridor connectivity so that spillover population does not sink into the surrounding landscape.8217;8217;

Another alarming feature is the state of sanctuaries and national parks that are not TRs. Much lower down in the priority list, with very few forest guards and plenty of animals, these are poachers8217; paradise. Jamua-Ramgarh adjacent to Sariska, Kela Devi or Sawai Mansingh near Ranthambhore are perfect examples of such killing fields.

Margin of error
ON A macro level, the problems with Project Tiger began when it shifted from a species-oriented mission to a more general conservation attempt, trying to have multiple-use areas and espousing human-cooperation.

The core-buffer strategy came up so that the buffer could provide space for ecodevelopment inputs read grazing, wood and grass cutting and even minor poaching to reduce dependency of local human population on the core. Unfortunately, in most places, buffers became hub of human activities.

In the worst case scenarios8212;Palamau, or even Ranthambhore8212;buffers have effectively vanished at many points and parts of core areas are utilised as buffers. The existence of hundreds of villages inside reserved forests make it difficult to control human intrusion.

Officials refuse to utter the p-word but it is known to happen everywhere. It has happened in Sariska, and possibly in Palamau and Namdampha as well.

Even when cases are filed, prosecution results in very low rate of conviction, less than 1 per cent. Even so, one would get a maximum of seven years for killing a tiger and pay a few thousand rupees in penalty. Peanuts, considering one gram of tiger bone dust sells for 35. A tiger8212;from skin to bone and the penis8212;fetches poachers anything between Rs 50-60 lakh.

So do our tigers have any hope? Plenty, if you trust Dr Gopal: 8216;8216;Indian tigers have survived all these years and will continue to survive with such focused projects like Project Tiger, and the awareness fostered by tiger lovers. I am not one of those prophets of doomsday who predicted that we won8217;t have any tigers beyond the year 2000.8217;8217;

If only his foot soldiers across the country share the conviction.

With Sandipan Sharma in Jaipur, Vani Doraisamy in Chennai, Vijay Singh in Mumbai

Reserves differ, reality doesn8217;t

INDRAVATI, CHHATTISGARH
OFFICIALLY: 100-odd tigers across 1,258 sq km
OFF THE RECORD: A hotbed of Naxalite activity, the park is out of bounds for officials. No recent sightings reported. 8216;8216;It is not practical to enter the forests, the Naxals will not let you return alive,8217;8217; says an official.
CASH FLOW: Nearly Rs 3 crore received under PT every year, but rarely spent for the purpose

SRISAILAM, ANDHRA PRADESH
OFFICIALLY: 65 tigers across 356,000 ha
OFF THE RECORD: Numbers uncertain. Of the five assistant conservators, only one is trained. Even field director M Sudhakar has no training from WII, Dehradun, as is mandatory. There are 22 vacancies and a ban on recruitment.
CASH FLOW: In 2002-03, park received Rs 21 lakh from the Centre, Rs 9.99 lakh was returned unspent. The next year, Rs 45.99 lakh came its way as Central and state funds, only Rs 41.84 lakh spent. Reason for non-utilisation? 8216;8216;Late release.8217;8217; This year, the Central grant is down to Rs 15 lakh

MANAS, ASSAM
OFFICIALLY: 65 tigers across
391 sq km
OFF THE RECORD: The last official figures date from 2000-01, and are almost half of 1997 figures 125. Officials point out the park was the hideout of militant groups through the 1990s; even the forest department quarters were occupied. During that period, a number of animals8212;including tigers8212;fell prey to poachers and militants

CORBETT, UTTARANCHAL
OFFICIALLY: 140-145 tigers across
520 sq km
OFF THE RECORD: While last available figures 8216;01 record a rise of 5-10 tigers from 1997 census, excessive tourist traffic8212;13,500 between November 15 and December 1, 20048212;is placing tremendous pressure on the park. Not to mention metal roads linking Kalagarh dam with Ramnagar and Dehra Dun which, when completed, will make the park more vulnerable

SIMLIPAL, ORISSA
OFFICIALLY: 200 across 2,750 sq km
OFF THE RECORD: Anyone8217;s guess. The figure has been stagnant for the past five years, but human pressure8212;400,000 by some estimates8212;has increased significantly. Couple that with the akhanda shikaar undisturbed hunting practice of the tribals, half the sanctioned strength of forest officials, 12-14 jeeps for 29 range officers8230; and guess at the real figure

Now there8217;s real reason for Billy Arjan8217;s fears

THERE is little hope for the tiger,8217;8217; says Billy Arjan Singh from Tiger Haven, his farm at Palia, 10 km from the Dudhwa National Park in Uttar Pradesh. The hunter-turned-conservationist received the J Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Award for 20048212;the second Indian to be so honoured after Salim Ali8212;but he finds cheer in little else.

Over the years, the 87-year-old has grown increasingly critical of Project Tiger. Now many are finding a real basis to his fears. 8216;8216;It has been a total failure. Initially it was successful because it was species-oriented but once it became general, focusing on human-cooperation, it failed. Because tigers and humans cannot occupy the same area,8217;8217; says Singh who, for many years, shared his home with the zoo-born tigress Tara.

From politicians to the forest department, Singh spares no one for the failure to save the tiger. 8216;8216;The tiger has no vote. In India politicians are too preoccupied with the vote bank to care about wildlife. There may be more awareness about wildlife but awareness means nothing if you do nothing about it.8217;8217;

As the roar of the tiger dies down in the forests of Rajasthan, Singh8217;s Dudhwa too is growing silent. 8216;8216;The main problem is that it borders Nepal. So you have two sets of people who follow different rules, regulations and laws,8217;8217; says Singh, whose efforts had led to Dudhwa being declared a Project Tiger Reserve in 1988.

Singh has always been famous for his run-ins with the forest department. 8216;8216;In the forest department, there are five disciplines, including wildlife, forest, plantation and social forestry. The man serving in the forest department is likely to be transferred to the wildlife department. These are antagonistic disciplines. Wildlife has to be taken away from the forest department.

8216;8216;Ultimately there8217;s no hope for saving the tiger unless we drastically re-orient the project and separate wildlife habitat from human habitat. If you protect the tiger, you protect the prey species and if you protect the prey species you protect the habitat.8217;8217;

For him, there is only one solution from which stem all others: 8216;8216;You must treat the tiger like a Godhead.8217;8217;

Devyani Onial