Staff shortage hits protection work at Nagarahole park

Nagarahole National Park was recently brought under India8217;s ambitious planto conserve tigers in the wild 8212; Project Tiger8217;. The park would henceforthbe called the Nagarahole-Bandipur8217; Tiger Reserve. The PTSC team visited thepark to asses the situation in Nagarahole and gather sufficient data forfuture course of action to implement Project Tiger programmes.

The findings of the Committee were shocking. The team found that protection vigilance work at Nagarahole was being carried out by only 25 per cent of the required staff strength. This has made one of the best parks in the world vulnerable for various illegal activities like illicit felling, bamboo-cutting and poaching.

The team has further pointed out that the World Bank-GEF funded Eco-Development Project at Nagarahole 8212; initiated two-and-a-half years ago 8212; had done more damage to the park than improving its habitat. The EDP haddrawn forest staff involved in protection work for programme-implementation.Earlier, the Nagarahole National Park had a staff shortage of upto 50 percent in certain ranges, as is the case in any other park. Two-and-a-halfyears ago, the World Bank pumped in Rs 35 Crore to conserve the bio-diversity in the region through eco-development programmes. The forestdepartment had furnished the necessary man-power to implement the programme and the staff were drawn from the Nagarahole Park to assist implementation of the project.

Sources said that the department had overlooked the Centre8217;s directionwhich holds that the main objective of the department should be protectionand that 8220;no protection staff should be used for eco-development projects.8221; This resulted in damage to the park and the protection work was neglected since the last two-and-a-half years. Director of PTSC Valmik Thapar, who was part of the visiting team, told The Indian Express that such a lapse was visible. 8220;We are submitting a report to the Centre,8221; he said.

8220;Protection is the key word for eco-development. Eco-development is notcarrying out romantic activity in rural areas and it is sad to see theforest department officials acting as village coddlers8217; than attending tofield problems concerning protection,8221; Thapar said. 8220;We are running the World8217;s best Tiger and Elephant Reserves and there is no point in sinking crores of rupees in the name of eco-development. We need the forest department personnel to work in the field rather than take up rural development and eco-development programmes in villages,8221; he added.