Tiger Tourism A Rethink

Breeding Trouble Skeptics at Work

Those skeptical about tiger tourism being an elitist indulgence need a rethink. The skeptical included are a few of those in the service who wish to do away with the men on the jeep entering into the tiger's domain for recreation. 

Atithi Devo Bhava!

Absolute inexpressive continence and no respect for senior and foreign tourists on safari is a very sorrowful saga that degrades our cultural inheritance. A more condescending approach is expected from the department, and I believe no inculcation of values takes place here unlike the respected sentinels at the borders.  

Restrictive Conservation Initiatives 

The attitude is restrictive and conservative in spite of seventy years of independence. Banning regulated tourism in the park will not enhance the big cats breeding, albeit some are hell-bent upon this belief that regulated tourism impacts breeding. This is a lame excuse since there is ample evidence of robust breeding and cub survival in the tourism zones.  Kanha National Park is a fine example. 

Tigers are dying in our reserves due to poaching by snares, electrocution, poisoning, and whatnot. There are no solutions in place and obsession with well-regulated tourism is not going to help either. Remember the infrastructure burden on the forest department as regards tourism is minimal and even those involved in the field supervision of tourist jeeps are able to conduct their conservative initiatives without much hindrance. 

Forest Guides Inadvertent Sentinels 

The burden of day-to-day management is reduced by the ever-vigilant forest guides who are anyway temporary employees and their remuneration comes from tourism. Few department employees committed at the gate are totally involved, and infrastructure buildup inside the tourism zone is often on a contract basis with an official designated for supervision. Anyway, any official movement in the park is much warranted since that helps keep an eye! The revenue earned from tourism is plowed back into the parks and this reduces the burden on the state exchequer. 

Organizational Dilemma 

There are a few organizations that have no faith in the protected area concept they believe that intrusion into inviolate zones is for the survival of the locals. Paradoxically, on the other hand, increased inviolate breeding grounds are a  must for other life forms. Such a pathetic approach denouncing the PAs may prevent other life forms from securing their safe heavens. There is immense biotic pressure on these badly exploited resources and there is no relenting. 

Wild animals as coinhabitants of the Earth need greater space, and the increasing man-animal conflict is a clear sign of ingression by humans. Humans have literally all the places on Earth to migrate, settle and live, wild animals have no such privilege they are constricted in small corners of this Earth and face immense biotic pressure, space constraint, and extreme threat to their survival. Waves of extinction are not a new phenomenon and more are impending perhaps till complete exhaustion. 

The only ban required - well short of - is to limit tourist vehicular movements so there is no crowding. Hesitation in enlarging tourism areas is encouraging the crunch. Limited tourist vehicle entry into a larger area is not going to impede tiger breeding nor is it going to impact the survival rate. This is applicable to all life forms in the core area. Following a conservative approach towards tiger tourism is not going to dramatically increase the population nor it will help stop poaching that is taking place in almost all our tiger reserves. Sporadic cases of poaching are being reported the sad state could be due to administrative neglect or advantage taken of areas in isolation. Tourist vehicle movement will help mitigate this problem. There are immense benefits to expanding regulated tourism in our reserves without threats to the big cat. This is obvious, I repeat since ongoing tourism at Kanha National Park has not adversely impacted the breeding of wild animals in any manner.   If we are restricting tourism to a certain limit there should be a rationale behind it. There should be adequate proof of the benefits that accrue from restrictions that are being advocated. This is managed tourism and optimum expansion is advocated.  

Enhancing the Buffer for Survival 

A large portion of most of the tiger reserves comprises the outer ring with tree cover and some small grasslands, aquatic bodies, settlements, cultivations, livestock movement in the forests, and small commercial establishments. Ousted big cats and mammals move here for succor and this is where they are most susceptible to inconsiderate humans and many are killed.  

Tigers and other animals need this area now more than ever as populations in the natal rise. The answer is to translocate populations and rewild the area. Now, this idea may seem highly improbable since uprooting is not just but then these are precisely the grounds that belonged to the wilderness and minuscule population of tribal. With the large-scale incursion of humanity into the sink, the burgeoning human population cannot be accommodated here anymore.  Another solution is to delink the forests and grasslands and make them completely inviolate with trespass being punishable. But even in this rare case adequate compensation to those somehow affected by delinking should be made.  

A just solution is to translocate and connect with the mainstream with appreciable compensation and jobs as well. This will also discourage ultra movements in these domains. This area can then be developed into time to come for tiger tourism and thus reduce pressure on the core. This is literarily increasing the core not only for the survival of the species but for tourism as well. An increase in tourism will lead to increased employment for the locals and boost small trade.   This could be a win-win solution?

Creating robust employment and small-time trade are the futuristic conservation initiatives though quite obvious these have never been accounted for except in a few write-ups.  Locals impact tourism and this is nothing. If they make living they will be all for inheritance. 

What Sells Live Survives! 

This seems to be a bit off the cuff saying but then in life, there is a commercial angle to everything. If the wilderness has to survive it has to pay back and create equity. 

Even those who resent the idea of translocation of settlements should understand that the young generation is already migrating to larger towns in search of jobs and business opportunities.  Keeping tribes in isolation because of historical empathy is a purely emotional concept and impractical. These places are away from the mainstream with no adequate infrastructure for survival in modern times.  Let us be thoughtful and create more and more inviolate space for other life forms including the tiger. 

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Uday Freelances as Naturalist in Central India. He is an avid birder and tiger enthusiast. He blogs on tigers, wildlife, and birds. He also writes on the environment and conservation.

Uday also provides SEO Services and Website Content in English. He teaches Digital Marketing in Jabalpur during Summer Holidays.

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Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com

09755089323 

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Conserving Wildlife in the Pench Tiger Kingdom

Forsyth's Highlands of Central India

When Mowgli roamed the jungles of Seoni, they were teeming with tigers, leopards, sloth bears, bison, and the wolf. All these were part of life at the Seoni Hills, neighboring the township. At that time in India, there was wilderness everywhere, and this is best described in the book by James Forsyth "The Central Indian Highlands". Forsyth was a British explorer and a keen hunter. None could have written better than him on Central India, albeit there is a considerable slant against the natives.  

Tiger

The Sad Decline

Unfortunately, commercial forestry had started, and logs were falling everywhere pan India. The forests were slowly but surely receding; such was their extent in the country. The modern hunter with guns, trained elephants, and an entourage of Indian slaves was more vicious than his counterpart in the bygone era. 

The British rulers in India had declared predators as vermin, and a price was paid to the killers. In that period, around twenty-five thousand tigers were reported killed besides other predators. This was pure butchery! At that time, both the jungles and wild animals in India faced the fury of the rulers and their satraps, the princely bandwagon. This was followed by the cleansing of forests for agriculture post-independence, and wild animals came in the way. Rapid urbanization is the biggest threat ecosystems are facing in present-day India.   

Pench Jungle

Slow Recovery 

The jungles of Seoni, and neighboring Chhindawara, like everywhere, were being denuded, and subsequently, the depletion of wildlife was taking place. However, these forests were part of the Satpura Ranges, and the hilly terrain survived somewhat. Even in the seventies before the WPAct, a license to kill a tiger was around Rs.45, and you had the blessings of the local livestock owners and the dispensation. 

Small patches of forests came under the net of Project Tiger as a protected area, and the rot was stemmed. This happened quite late in 1972 whence the Wildlife Protection Act was passed, and the Project Tiger Program was initiated. WPA led to a complete ban on hunting wild animals. 

As a result, Pench Tiger Reserve and National Park came into existence in the year 1977. A much-reduced ecosystem, nevertheless, the creation of PA gave hope to the critically endangered tiger.  Today the park is a conservation unit, and more than fifty tigers survive in an approximate belt of 700 plus sq. km with dense cover. However, before creating the PA, the park was being run under sordid circumstances with rampant poaching and wood logging cases.  

The electrocution of wild animals was a major threat that was eventually brought under control. But this threat still exists, and so do other means of killing wild animals.  During my visit in the early nineties, I was witness to a carcass of electrocuted tigers and other animals; even one poacher was said to have died in the horrific incident. The sordid saga dealt with neglect, and the police apathy was evident.  

Though greater effort is being made by protecting wild animals and flora, conservation initiatives with the least intervention are quite common. As a result, the wilderness is flourishing, and the big cats are breeding well. At least in the critical tiger habitat or core. 

This conservation unit is home to the critically endangered Indian Wolf. Severely persecuted by humanity, it is still surviving, but there is no count or status record here. The dry deciduous tropical forests of this reserve are mixed forests with an abundance of fruiting trees, contributing to the strong recovery of animal populations in Central India. The overflow in the future would accelerate the need for a corridor between Pench and Kanha, which exists in a fragmented state at present.  The Jabalpur, Nagpur highway intersects the jungles, and road accidents are being prevented by building underpasses which sets a good example for the rest of the country obsessed with linear development.  Remedies like building elevated highways or underpasses and overpasses will reduce man-animal conflict by allowing safe passage to wild animals. 

Under the aegis of NTCA and the State Forest Department, considerable protection is accorded to the unit. Though the major part of the forest is under Madhya Pradesh Government, the rest is under the Maharashtra State.   

Tiger Tourism at Pench

Although created with conservation in focus, there is another dimension to the unit. And this is tourism which has proven to be a substantial revenue generator in the park. In addition, it contributes to National Exchequer by the inbound flow of foreign exchange through overseas visitors. 

Tourism is conducted in twenty percent area of critical tiger habitat and in the outer ring called a buffer. Though a preferred activity in the core, there is substantiative movement in the buffer as well.  The regulated tourism ecosystem is not only instrumental in earning revenue for the park. It is a major source of employment and small trade opportunity for people living in the periphery.  

The department employs a large number of people as guides, forest guards, and sundry laborers. The popular wildlife resorts in Pench are the key employment generators. They attract tourism from overseas as well as the domestic crowd. Luxury resorts and tour operators play a major role in marketing wild India abroad and locally. The tourism ecosystem generates business and employment. The status of locals and small-time businesses is robust thanks to the regulated tourism in the parks like Pench.  

These units are effective in nature interpretation and thus generate a sense of pride by increasing awareness about our wild heritage. Experience the wild tiger safari on an open jeep in Pench. It is organized every day except Wednesday evening. The tourists have to book a permit for each safari at MPOnline Portal. Another option is to book at the gate if available. The best season to experience conservation and search for wild animals is throughout the year except for the monsoon. 

Approach to Pench

From Kanha National Park by Road 

By Air Jabalpur and Nagpur

Nagpur Airport is much closer at 90 km approximately.  

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Uday freelances as a naturalist and loves to write about tiger conservation and the environment.

He also provides SEO and Content and teaches  Digital Marketing in his hometown Jabalpur. 

Contact: 

pateluday90@hotmail.com

9755089323

Preventing Extractive Tourism in Tiger Lands?

Tiger Tourism Pros & Cons

In the tiger lands or the reserves, tourism is the butt of contention for its detractors. Yes, there appears to be a small tribe that includes some officials and a few organizations who do not believe that any form of recreation is deserving in our tiger reserves. 

Alternate tourism in the buffer or now eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) does not seem to be promising and could reduce tourism to naught sinking local economies back to primitive status as before the advent of tourism.  This area is subject to biotic and abiotic pressures on its limited resources and space.        

Although cumbersome legal interventions in the past were unwarranted the impact has been remedial as far as the dangers of extractive or mass tourism are concerned. This does not imply that legal battles are imperative. 

The credit for reducing carbon footprints in the reserves by restricting mass tourism goes to the sagacity of our legal system and wildlife managers - the wise men that are at the helm. Equity is of utmost importance as far as the preservation of natural lands and its denizens are concerned and tourism accords it without fail.  This also clears the fact that what pays stays, a harsh reality indeed. 

The reserves generate a lot of revenue from tiger safari and the funds are plowed back into conservation activities managed by local labor, and regular and permanent staff. Fund flow as salaries providing livelihood.     

The tiger reserves are remotely situated but not far removed, most of them are engulfed by dense humanity in the surrounding livestock included. Well-fed people respond better to natural surroundings the fragile ecosystems. Thus economic activities can never be thwarted or subdued beyond a limit. 

Tiger tourism in India has proved benign, for years of inception, no noticeable damage has occurred in the ecosystems. On the contrary big cat population and prey, density has increased and habitat recovery is noticeable. The recent entry caps have further assured the validity of preservation laws.       

Thus the vision of detractors is at best myopic and seems to ignore the harsh reality of a free economy. All income generation activities are for survival and thus unavoidable. We can at best regulate and restrict in order to save the environment and the local infrastructure from the immense pressures of mass tourism. 

Tourism in Tiger Reserves    

Tiger Tourism is already regulated, the permit system and cap on vehicle entry are all environmentally friendly measures that substantially reduce carbon footprints. Fewer vehicles on drive mitigate pressure on wildlife and enhance the safari experience as well.  

Mass extractive tourism is always a threat to the local environment where the environmental consequences are oft-ignored. This is due to the belief that mass tourism augurs immense benefits to the local economy in spite of exploitative tourism practices. But in a rich man's world where travel is a privilege of the upper crust more in the post-vaccine rollout era, the tourism hot spots are turning back into an unmanageable hub of activities. Paradoxically unregulated tourism is the biggest damage monger to the environment and to the local infrastructure.     

In natural places by local infrastructure, we should not restrict ourselves to roads and bridges and the concrete structures that eventually crop up. The ecology-rich areas and natural resources come under the purview of local infrastructure, and the maximum damage occurs here...irrevocable in most cases. 

Tiger Tourism Concerns & Remedies

No pressure should be exerted upon crucial aquatic systems, deforestation should not take place, agrarian practices should improve but not expanded, livestock rearing should be organized such that biotic pressures are mitigated, urbanization is the bane of eco-sensitive areas and alternate habitation should be encouraged. 

Prevention of debilitating industrial activities is of utmost importance in order to prevent deforestation and pollution. Commercial activity should be nature-oriented like encouragement to arts and crafts. Local hospitality ancillaries are vital for tourism everywhere hence monopoly should be discouraged. Real estate exploitation is a reality in such hot spots nevertheless the tribal lands are well protected by law.      

All this appears to have been copied straight from some ecologist's write up but this is beside the point. The desire to move in the perceived right direction is stressed out here. This article simply points to a rethink as far as wilderness management is concerned in India.               

Threats & Perceptions

The Threat Remains in Buffer Zones. The term buffer zone itself is defeatist in nature with no remedial action deemed possible. Considered as a leftover fragment of the intact ecosystem in the core this is where livestock rearing and agrarian practices are permissible. Space is also for the survival of sink populations of wild animals chiefly the tiger. But cohabitation in modern times at best seems a romantic illusion. Some species are very sensitive to human interventions and animals like the swamp deer for example cannot simply survive in the buffer. Sturdy wildlife does survive in green pockets in stressful circumstances giving rise to man-animal conflict. Tourism in the buffer is another plus point.     

Although the translocation of human settlements in the outer ring or buffer appears to be an instant panacea this is not a pragmatic approach. Alternatives have to be found for better preservation of the reserve keeping in place the inviolate area or core as sacrosanct.      

Small or large-scale industrial activities have not yet entered most of the reserves I have visited, but the threat remains. Our belief that urbanization is development in terms of concrete infrastructure and economy is mired in fallacy. The policymakers see all regions including the places of natural importance as uniform entities and thus insidious urbanization is creeping in. With no alternate framework specific to places of natural importance the die is cast.   

Exploitation: Corollary to Mass Tourism 

Mass or extractive tourism is often linked to the exploitation of local resources and manpower. This stands true in most circumstances but this corollary does not apply to the tiger reserves or protected areas in India with restrictive and regulated tourism.

Low salaries and extensive working hours as some point out are due to capitalism is not the case in the reserves. If there are such instances then competition is a great leveler and hard-working locals who grasp diverse skills are not facing any problems and their status is at best robust. As a matter of fact, due to empowerment, the local youth is moving out to cities for better opportunities.      

Small is Good

In this writing up there is a message for wildlife resorts that large establishments will never see the daylight. In keeping with environmental concerns, vehicle entry limits are not going to be enhanced. Hence room requirements would be low-scale except in the rush. 

Courtyard House Kanha - Responsible Lodge

Creating a small establishment or responsible lodge is the order of the day. It has become imperative to keep accommodations small. Perhaps a larger establishment would need to bring down the number of rooms. This will help reduce carbon footprints and improve nature in the surroundings.        

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Uday Works as Freelance Naturalist and Blogs on conservation, tigers, environmental issues.

He also provides SEO and Website Contents in English. He teaches Digital Marketing in Jabalpur in Summers.

He can be contacted at:

Mail: pateluday90@hotmail.com
 Mob: 09755089323

              

   

Conservation and Best Places for Spotting Tigers in India

India's Recent Conservation History 

Central India retains its status as a tiger state with more big cats in its reserves than any other. This is a matter of pride and a sign of huge success in the conservation of the beleaguered cat. The problems faced by the endangered animal are literary insurmountable, but yet their populations grow in our country. Whereas we retain fifty percent of the population in India, it is losing ground elsewhere on Earth. 

Once we had contiguous tracts of forests and grasslands which formed fragile yet tenable ecosystems that supported myriads of life forms to conserve sustainable biodiversity in a robust environment. The lifelines of these precious natural places were the major rivers and their tributaries. This is not the case anymore as they have been either dammed or altered by engineering and this continues. This has prevented or altered the movement of keystone species and has resulted in subsequent damage to their environment and the ecosystems as a whole.  

Nature is a highly sensitive element of Earth and even slight alteration may threaten the survival of species, and the environmental equilibrium that is crucial for the sustenance of life on Earth including that of humans. There are in fact no pliable solutions to engineer earthly elements for infrastructure developments some strategies may only mitigate but not prevent a hole in the protective shield. Even the current methods of agriculture and livestock rearing are damaging the globe the former in an irreversible manner. Wood extraction, mining for minerals, and fossil fuels need an immediate reversal by developing renewable alternate energy sources which are merciful on carbon emissions.    

The perfect state did not last long after the arrival of invaders with ideologies that were not nature-centric, unlike the Vedic ethos. The growth of the human population though in a nascent stage at that time was slowly burgeoning. The advent of firearms, the use of wood for economic urgencies, the widespread prevalence of hunting among the privileged, and the later clearing of large tracts of forests to settle humans and support agriculture to make the rapidly rising population sustainable spelled disaster for our ecosystems. Today good crown cover survives in isolation and that too is under constant threat. The protected areas or PAs are in disconnect and a large number of them exist in complete isolation surrounded by a sea of humans all over.  

Conservation & Tourism 

The efforts to save the big cats continue, and in conservation, leitmotif tourism plays a major role. To be specific it is tiger tourism that is at the front of saving the species from extinction. This is done by according equity to the majestic animal and by providing crucial revenue for conservation activity. Another balance that tourism augurs are awareness of the complex web of life and its importance.    

The survival of tigers does not depend only on numbers; it is dependent upon a number of factors including political resolve, reduction in man-animal conflict, and unchecked linear infrastructure developments that go through the heart of our reserves. Saddled between popular expectations and the need to leave our ecosystems untouched the dispensation is in a quandary badly trying to find a middle ground that practically does not exists anymore after severe depredation. 

The crucial role played by the protected areas cannot be denied. It is this creation that has accorded space to the predator and protected its home from destruction by humans in the surroundings and those at the helm of economic game plays that the country has experienced right from the day of independence.     

The successful tiger reserves act as a breather for the species to overcome the challenges it faces in an effort to secure its existence on Earth. Unfortunately, the existential threats accrue from various quarters thanks to callous human nature and greed which tramples over all that the Earth stands for.  

Though there are fifty reserves in India not all are bustling with the endangered animal. Some exhibit a pathetic record of conservation due to negligence and prevailing conditions in the surroundings which are not conducive to the survival of the cat in the confines. 

But there are many reserves that are doing well and the species is regaining ground. The present beleaguered status of the tiger in India is due to the wanton destruction of its habitats, hunting, poaching, and man-animal conflict which is strangulating the species slowly but surely. These stressful factors needed immediate emancipation and Project Tiger conceived in the seventies has been active in saving the species. All PAs with tiger populations are under the aegis of this program in India that includes popular National Parks, WLS, and the reserves we so often visit to spot the majestic hunter.  Wildlife Protection Act 1972 has been crucial in protecting all life forms in the country and continues to do so in present times.       

Tiger tourism generates revenue for the parks and thus reduces the onus of funding on the State. Funds flow from other sources as well keeping the conservation initiatives alive. The industry as a whole contributes to revenue generation and provides employment to the locals and this results in empowerment as well. 

They are employed in the forest department, by the hotel industry as well as the small enterprise which supports local economies. Not all reserves receive a large number of visitors. The factors responsible for the surge of tourism in some reserves are good tiger sightings, sound infrastructure, and easy accessibility. This holds true for overseas visitors as well. In the present circumstance, Covid 19 Management will play a crucial role.       

Some of the best places for tiger spotting in India are few known ones. They are as follows:

• Kanha National Park
• Bandhavgarh National Park
• Ranthambore Tiger Reserve
• Corbett Tiger Reserve
• Tadoba Andhari Reserve 
• Pench Tiger Reserve 
• Panna Tiger Reserve 
• Periyar Tiger Reserve
• Nagarhole 

Though sightings may vary in these parks due to local factors generally the presence of big cats is robust thus increasing chances of sighting on tour. Make your plan according to the tour design and try to include at least two parks to enhance success. Remember to book excursion permits well in advance as entry into the reserves is limited.

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Uday Works as Freelance Naturalist and Blogs on conservation, tigers, and environmental issues. 

He also provides SEO and Website Content in English.

Uday Teaches Internet Marketing Classes in his hometown of Jabalpur in the summer.  

He can be contacted at: 

pateluday90@hotmail.com

9755089323

Post Pandemic Tiger Tourism An Imperative & Brutal Reality

NO Conservation in Isolation 

"If It Pays It Stays"

Well at some wildlife destinations in Africa as I was reading during the lockdown, the saying goes that if it pays it stays. In extremely poverty-stricken circumstances this holds to be true. Unfortunately, the activity does not appear to be egalitarian to many and yes to some in the bureaucracy as well. This view stands for India as well. 

After the hunting season which thankfully was banned in 1972...than tourism was seen as a recreation of elites. Not anymore, the local communities even those bereft take pride in their heritage or their heritance.  Those who get their bread from the park and tourism consider conservation as an essential tool for their survival. In absence of the reserve, their livelihood would have been nonexistent. We must understand the overall upliftment of a region benefits even those who are not direct participants in the conservation and recreational activities of PAs.      

Even if conservation was in place sans tourism a large community of dwellers with no employment in the department would have turned to wood logging and poaching. This number would have been enough to bring protection and preservation efforts to naught. So would have the empowerment of the locals. There would have been a big dent in local institutions and infrastructure which is somehow empowered due to the tourist arrivals and their activities. Also, a lot of community initiatives have come into the picture due to the tour operators and the hotel industry around the PAs.  

In spite of millions invested in saving our endangered ecosystems and species without the empowerment and participation of local communities, the Conservation Projects and Programs would have performed poorly. 

Another aspect that warrants attention is the revenue that parks generate from tourism, this supports many activities which enable the participation of locals especially the labor class the poorest working section of society. The revenue generated also mitigates the burden of the State Governments, otherwise, contingency funds would have been a major issue, especially those required for core conservation initiatives. We will also have to add income generation from inbound tourism overall which I believe would be substantial.  

Post Pandemic 

For the planners, not only the manufacturing sector but tourism as well has to be looked into in the post-pandemic period in India. Albeit manufacturing has been allowed in remote and rural confines this is not the case with wildlife tourism. Most of our PAs are situated in remote confines. I hope this activity is seen as an imperative by the Government else the industry will have to collectively press upon it.  

In the opening season (October) if the lockdown in a few states and major towns still prevails, organizing tourist activity in the tiger reserves would require new regulations in place but certainly possible. The major tiger reserves are dependent upon visitors from all over India, and equally impressive numbers from overseas. Hence interstate and International transportation has to be facilitated with new norms...as it will be. 

The post-Covid-19 period will not be without blemishes and bottlenecks as the pandemic is not going to go away as a seasonal intrusion as most people still believe. Even if the peak passes off, the pandemic might linger on as local eruptions from time to time or even as a periodic epidemic. So little do we know about this coronavirus?   In spite, we should be planning ahead in order to conduct tourism in our tiger reserves with a new paradigm in place.  

Extension of Activities

Thankfully the buffer zone has become center of activities and it is paying by organizing safaris. In future the buffer zone forest will experience greater protection and preservation efforts.

There is a possibility of organizing regulated tourism in areas where tourism is not permitted in our PAs at present - however minimal. We should look into this with an open mind. 

Many among us, unfortunately, consider tiger tourism as destructive in spite of it being in place for decades with no apparent harm. Until we change our perspective we will not be able to fully exploit the tourism potential of our PAs.

The lockdown has brought many safeguards and protective measures in place and the public has learned the etiquette to keep safe. Things will move on...

Uday Works as Freelance Naturalist and Blogs on conservation, tigers, environmental issues. 

He also provides SEO and Website Content in English.

Uday Teaches Internet Marketing Classes in his home town in Jabalpur in Summer.  

He can be contacted at: 

pateluday90@hotmail.com

Covid-19 : Why Close The Tiger Parks?

After the frightening and murdering pandemic, we have developed cold feet and long ultra-sensitive ears. In this predicament, we have forgotten that the economy cannot be halted for long irrespective. Yes irrespective of the damage this bugger is doing, things will have to move on - albeit a paradigm will have to set in which will make us and the wildlife less susceptible to the pandemic. And we have enough time! Well nearly!

I have read that some people are interested in the closure of the tiger reserve during this pandemic which seems to cross over a year or more.

I am writing here (as an amateur) to plead for tiger tourism in our reserves. The show must go on!

The news of tigers being affected by coronavirus should not create panic since the conditions are different and so is the country. In the USA there are five thousand big cats in custody many in a private capacity and not part of an institution, such is the nature of policies that the country abides with.   

At the most, we should learn how to save tigers from this deadly pandemic from that incidence in captivity. We do have disease diagnostics and treatment centers for wild animals in India. 

People who are advocating the closure of National Parks and WLS for tiger tourism are displaying a haphazard and frenzied assessment. There are some points to consider regarding why tourism should be continued in these wildlife havens in India. 

• Tourists by regulation have to maintain distance from wild animals, especially tigers during the excursion.     
• A large workforce that comprises the management - Rangers, beat guards, vets, officers, and sundry labor will not be stopped from entering the core zones. This aberration would certainly lead to poaching, wood logging, and frequent trespass within the core.  Hence nobody will be able to prevent nearness to these animals in the core. 
• Human intervention often required will again bring the vets and helpers in close contact with the wild animals.
• In the buffer zones there is no check on human activities, hence chances of big cats and other animals closing up on humans are maximum. Closing tourism in the park will not prevent these incursions.  
• Most important we have forgotten the economy of the guides, drivers, and local small businesses. The resorts may not find it feasible to pay the staff they will definitely be reduced to the bare minimum.
  
  This extensive lockdown and the time of reopening of the parks in October 2020 have given us a lot of time to get things in proper order. And our Governments have been very alert and sincere in tackling this malady that would certainly act against harsh economic measures.
  
  The detractors will anyway find out how the wheels of the economy churn in spite of the pandemic. It is simply impossible to halt economic activities for a long time. I am talking about people who survive on daily wages and those with little savings. They will have to gear up to work pandemic or no pandemic. Mind You!
  
  Another factor we have to consider is that people in India are less affected by the pandemic, I mean infected. Secondly, a distancing and preventing mechanism is taking place. And most important tests and diagnoses are in place or increasing substantially in the country. This is the biggest safeguard against the further spread of disease.
  
  I am sure International or inbound arrivals would not be allowed to enter India without confirmation of their status.  Those who are found positive whether in their country before going on board, or in India upon entering will not be allowed to enter the parks as well.
  
  Local staff, I believe the forest department would have already tested them. The staff pertaining to a local institution in shops and commerce will have to carry a green certificate having been tested in recent times. 
  
  Those who are aware of our ecosystems and understand wilderness know very well how strong the immunity is among wild animals. Tigers and megafauna have immunity far stronger than humans and certainly those surviving in the harsh conditions of the wild World.
  
  I am writing as an amateur naturalist...but we have the right thinkers amongst our wildlife managers and policymakers hence sagacity will prevail.
  
  We must carry on with the show next October Onward!   

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Uday Works as Freelance Naturalist and Blogs on conservation, tigers, and environmental issues. 

He also provides SEO and Website Content in English.

Uday Teaches Internet Marketing Classes in his hometown of Jabalpur in the Summer.  

He can be contacted at: 

pateluday90@hotmail.com

09755089323

Responsible Tourism and Tigers

Tiger Conservation Our Responsibility

Well, we are responsible for the sad state of tigers in India and the World over. While the conditions in India are improving with the increase in the population of big cats still the animals are nowhere out of danger. Yes, they are still endangered and still critical. Their population can slide down with a single step missed or a wrong foot forward. Such is the precarious status of the magnificent predator all over.  A lot depends upon our attitude towards this animal A Pride of India. A lot depends upon how the policies are shaped by those at the helm. A lot depends upon our sincerity to conserve this amazing creature on Earth and an utmost fascinating one at that. 

The seventies brought back this animal from the brink whence the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and Project Tiger were initiated by the Government of India. Butea there are lot many issues still present which create a threat to the species' survival. 

While human activities and our irresponsible nature are responsible for the plight of many life forms. The resultant climate change or global warming is affecting the survival of many life forms globally and mass extinctions have become a reality. Now pandemics have also become a reality and that too in a vicious form as seen in the case of Covid-19 or coronavirus.

Sustainable Tourism

So every responsible step we take we will end up saving many life forms. Tourism is a major economy in India that earns substantial revenue from overseas and local visitors. Thankfully in India, at least tiger tourism is regulated. Yes visit a tiger reserve and you will know. 

But responsibilities have to be on a wider scale encompassing all those involved. This would encompass you and me, tour operators and hoteliers, and the people around the reserves. All elements mentioned above can bring down the extinction rate significantly.

The responsible tourism principles advocate:

• Smaller Carbon Footprints
• Accommodating Locals in Jobs 
• Create New Eco-Friendly Livelihood Options
• Conservation of Natural Resources
• Rewilding 
• Community Initiatives 
• Contribute to Ongoing Community Initiates
• Empowerment of Local Communities
• Local Infrastructure Development Assistance
• Renewable Energy Initiatives   
• Maximize Purchase of Local Produce 
• Encourage Handicrafts Development
• Assist in Modern Dairy Farming 
• Assist in Horticulture 
• Proper Waste Disposal 
• Minimize Use of Energy
• Minimize Use of Natural Resources 
• Assistance to Forest Management 
• Compliance With Protected Area Guidelines
• Compliance With Excursion Rules

In times of restricted entries in the park, smaller properties that leave minimum carbon footprints should be encouraged. Community initiatives and infrastructure development like empowering schools and hospitals, training locals in various disciplines for a sustainable career, and more. All these activities are within the reach of resorts and tour operators with a robust balance sheets.    

Courtyard House Kanha Community School Initiative 

The battle to save the big cat is multi-fronted and holistic, the local communities and the management are in the frontline. As people of India, we too are responsible for our heritage and should act in tandem with green practices in the confines of our homes, neighborhood, and society.

Economy & Conservation 

When the wheels of the economy churn conservation are at their best and nothing churns it better than tourism. Without equity, none will survive including the tigers. Albeit the conservation of species is based on scientific principles in the contemporary World this will lose ground.

Local Labour - Road Works

This archaic perspective of tourism being the antithesis of species conservation is at best myopic and should be done away with.

Our Protected Areas

Take the example of protected areas most of which have now become intact ecosystems and an appreciable increase in the population of different species including the tiger has taken place. This has come about by creating an inviolate space and restricting human activities. An extensive protection mechanism helps ward off poachers, wood loggers, and their heinous acts. 

The contribution to the local economy is in all perspectives phenomenal and has to be seen to be believed. Take the example of  Kanha National Park. In the seventies, during my earlier visit, all the villages lined up along the road to Kanha, and inside were a spectacle of extreme poverty and cut off from the mainstream society....not now. Those who consider the economic upliftment here as minimal need to conduct a proper survey keeping in perspective the era before tourism became popular. The parks are receiving substantial funds due to tourism and that is impressive by all means.

The vision of detractors is poor and steeped in a conservative attitude. Many in the bureaucracy find tourism a nuisance and a hindrance in conservation activities, this is nothing but a colonial stance.

There are many NGOs mostly human rights activists who have little knowledge of how beleaguered ecosystems are repaired and how they function. They are not adept at understanding animal behavior, especially of species which are shy of man. They are well some of them are detractors of tourism and the core area concept reserved for other life forms to breed and survive in peace. They seek human footsteps everywhere. A very human-centric attitude like some of our politicians. 

Regulated tourism is an inseparable aspect of conservation now and the sooner we realize it the better. It accords equity to the tiger and other animals in the minds of people. It encourages local participation in the preservation and protection of their heritage.  Most important it runs the local economies and empowers people belonging to various strata. It helps remote communities join the mainstream society in India and bring them into the nexus of social benefits and related gains.

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Uday Works as Freelance Naturalist and Blogs on conservation, tigers, and environmental issues. 
He also provides SEO and Website Content in English.
Uday Teaches Internet Marketing Classes in his hometown in Jabalpur in Summer.  
He can be contacted at 
pateluday90@hotmail.com
09755089323
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Tiger Conservation: Tourism or Not To?

For more than three decades I have been witness to tourism at the tiger reserves in India...well at some of them. I have seen rules and regulations step into the game rides as time went past. This was for good since regulated tourism meant less disturbance to the wild denizens. This also meant the end of free for all joy rides for the miscreants...those who come just to drink and eat in the luxurious resorts. But thankfully this lot is on the go and more nature-friendly tourists are visiting our National Parks and sanctuaries. 

Most of my experience has been at Kanha which has been one of the best-managed parks in India and is so to this date. I have also worked at Bandhavgarh, Pench, and Corbett tiger reserves as well.

Kanha National Park is the best model to study the impact of tourism on sensitive wildlife, the management inputs, human interventions, and research that has been carried out since its declaration as a sanctuary. 

Contrary to popular belief especially among the extreme right, amidst the management and policymakers, regulated tourism has not been destructive at all. It has helped create public awareness among the general masses, brought focus on endangered tigers, other animals...and of course the issues concerning wildlife conservation and the environment in India. It generates crucial revenue for all participants.    

    

From unhindered to limited vehicular entries as per the capacity by area - this has been a thankful change. The safaris have become more productive and undisturbed and a joyful holistic environment prevails. This has also prevented a conundrum of jeeps gathering around the tiger or other big games.  

Banning of elephant safaris has also come around good since more efforts are made to track the tiger now using skills than disturbing both the elephant and the big cat in a crowded jamboree. The grudge of the mahouts is understandable but they have a greater role to play in patrolling and protection.

Since tourism has a supporting economical angle and is justified hence its significance should never be a matter of doubt...there are many views regarding how it should be conducted. The Government has set up NTCA a conservation authority whose writ runs large as far as excursions in tiger reserves go. The Supreme Court has also stepped in to monitor activities related to tourism in these parks. Hence to bring around any changes regarding the limits and policy is nigh impossible for the Local Governments and the park authorities albeit some aspects are within the purview of the latter. Any leeway given or a way created by the Governments interested in greater revenue generation are thwarted by the higher echelons in the administration as well as by the bodies mentioned in this article.  

Tourism involves economic aspects of a plethora of investors and the local communities are stakeholders too. The curtailing of activities in the park has a direct impact on their incomes. This also has an indirect effect on the revenue generation of the State as well since tourism revenue plays a major role in the economy. 

Many activists and some in the management advocate a total ban on tiger safaris. Some advocate stringent measures to curtail tourism as much as possible and even do away with the protected area concept. This is disastrous, for all aspects of the Nation are dependent on revenue generation be it tourism, manufacturing, or trading.

In absence of PAs, it is not at all difficult to surmise what will happen, the ecosystems will be completely ravaged and become a battleground of interests encouraged by greedy businesses and political entities.  We have already denuded large chunks of forests and other ecosystems, and the biotic pressures, greed, and interference are ever-threatening. Hence more and more remaining ecosystems should be brought around the banner of PAs.  Else we will lose everything. There is no need for human-aligned activists and those with an extreme approach to cause impediments since our wildlife managers are apt and understand all aspects well.

Tigers and many animals sensitive to human presence and activities need inviolate areas this should never be forgotten. Human ways even in remote are affected by greed and their activities like intrusions, farming, livestock rearing, and hunting are not conducive to ecosystems. Anyway, fast-spreading urbanization is now ubiquitous. This idea of human-wildlife coexistence is barely plausible that too in forced circumstances where the poor wild denizens have no choice. Take the case of the buffer in a tiger reserve and you will see how humans are expanding their presence and how the wild animals are living in beleaguered circumstances not forgetting the ever-increasing biotic pressures and commerce. This is not called survival and in the present circumstance, this belief is at best chimerical. Other life forms are certainly surviving under a hostile environment everywhere. We have conditioned ourselves to live in a man-made toxic environment other life forms have not that is why a large-scale species extinction is taking place on our beloved Earth.                  

In case of tourism ban, the survival of the entity would be at stake. This idea of banning tiger excursions is at best romantic and disastrous...at the same time in absence of alternate income for the locals who would turn into poachers...at least many would.  Another nightmare would be absence of public pressure and roving eyes that aid in saving our wild species for the subject would move out of the public sphere.

However naturalists, wildlife enthusiasts, some environmentalist and thinkers feel public participation is essential in all sphere of National Activities.  Therefore in an area out of bound for the public at least reporters and wildlife enthusiasts should be allowed. This is imperative because advocates of  safaris should understand that a large area cannot be allowed for tourist excursions due to security issues and infrastructure management therefore only few should be allowed to visit non tourist areas. 

Hence regulated tourism is the best option, both for revenue generation and the preservation of the heritage. Without this activity, the equity would be zeroed, and conservation efforts and the participation of people would come to an end. This would be disastrous for saving the endangered species and the ecosystems as well...which are equally threatened. Those who negate the value of public participation in a suitable manner are not being honest with their task and wish to work in isolation.       

A sea change has been brought about by tourism in the reserves and State economy...and its overall impact on National income. Hence a balance should prevail without hampering conservation and thus tourism should be optimized for better revenue generation.

The hotel industry has been the most impacted by the induction of new rules but this is an open economy and no protection can be accorded to the industry. They have to reduce their capacity. It is conservation first in these units and takes what you get. Hence many resorts are on the verge of closure or running on ever-decreasing revenue. This would also mean the loss of local jobs and the empowerment of communities. The carrying capacity of this sector may be limited but there are many alternate venues for income generation. Training locals in hospitality is possible with the help of resorts nearby.         

Although on the right track a paradigm shift has to take place as per our approach to regulations and rules that impact revenue generation. Finding a middle ground with an open mind would be fruitful.
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Uday is a naturalist and freelancer at Kanha National Park. He writes on wildlife and conservation.

Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com
Mo: 9755089323 

Of Tourists & Tourism in Our Tiger Reserves

Kanha National Park sets a fine example of how to manage tourism in the core area.

This sentence above is enough to get the gist of the article to follow. I am pro-well-regulated tourism and this article is pro-tourism. Those who disagree should read more carefully. 

Thankfully destructive hunting days are over, and better alternative tiger tourism has taken over. I am unabashedly using the phrase tiger tourism albeit a holistic approach depends upon how the industry presents a visit to the reserve and of course our own attitude. Tour operators and hoteliers should present safaris as holistic comprising many aspects of the reserves. They should not guarantee tiger sightings at all and promise a more fruitful and wholesome experience.  

Swamp Deer

A singular obsession for sighting tigers should not be there but it will remain, for some species attraction is natural and fascination with a specific animal or bird is quite obvious. Ironically many of the initiated follow the path of tiger obsession including some of the senior officers, VIPs, and other privileged souls with an interest in photography and with all the prerogative in their control. 

This singular obsession with our National Animal is natural, thanks to the status that has been created in the past. That it is at the top of the food chain and an apex predator naturally incurs a lot of interest among visitors. It is not only the morphological attraction, the historical pathway that has reduced the footprints of this magnificent beast making it rare and endangered. And hence an object of desire.

Tiger

The animal's own charismatic/behavioral appeal is responsible for its obsession with the carnivore. For some association with Hindu religious identities or myths is the reason for attraction though much less a reason as compared with others. The animal is part of many myths and stories and has inspired many writers too. Kipling Stands out! Globally there is a desire to see this animal at least once in a lifetime. What is wrong?   

I have read articles by the erudite that lament the fact that the tiger cannot vote! This is a simple summation of its standing in our country and elsewhere. 

Jeep Safari

Why cannot people see the tiger and admire it in its natural surrounding? 

Those who advocate a ban on tourism or limit it to impractical means do have a right to express an opinion but the positives far outweigh the negatives.  

Does not tourism and the popularity of the carnivore create equity that we understand and the politician certainly do?. 

Without tourist (read public) appeal the status of animals would not have been a big botheration for those who consider it as a speck on the horizon. There are many at the helm who consider conservation as an irritant...I hope you get the point. 

With ubiquitous warming and subsequent climate change, environmental concerns should be imperative that those at the helm should be well aware of. To make matters worse global ecosystems are being ravaged on a massive scale ....and tourism has nothing to do with this at least in India.  

It is the importance/obsession or fondness for the animal among the common man that propels the administration and our policymakers into sincere action. The vote bank should lend a voice for better conservation practices and a concern for our wilderness. To negate public pressure in this country is like acceptance of incompetence and negligence with gusto. 

Public pressure matters and will continue to matter. The dreadful remedy that thwarts the rise of public concern is to curtain all that is happening by barring public access like in the totalitarian states, and in this case, thwarting sustainable tourism. In our country, a closeted approach is often followed as regards the management of things. 

Pertaining to my first sentence tourism is conducted as per rules and regulations at Kanha National Park. This I have been observing for more than two decades. My first visit to the park was probably in the year 1972 or maybe earlier. 

A few of the tiger reserves which I will not name since my visitations have been limited there, the safaris are horribly managed and an atrocious attitude follows - there is literary a free for all. This is why tiger tourism is looked down upon but this does not stand true for all reserves.      

Setting A New Tourism Paradigm

We as the public have to understand that we must cooperate with authorities and strictly follow rules and regulations of the reserves. A singular obsession with the big cat does not deliver much, a holistic approach will really be interesting and will create greater awareness.  

The reserves have so much to offer so indulge in birding as well as in megafauna and take interest in the microcosm that prevails in these biodiversity hubs. Enjoy every aspect of the reserve, and follow the guide and the naturalist. All creatures big and small are beautiful and worthy of admiration hence making your safari holistic. 

Do not encourage to break the rules in your haste to see the tiger or other megafauna. This is a problem in some reserves. 

Stay at responsible resorts which follow green principles. Those that do not or have encroached should be shunned. Overall keep your carbon footprints small by avoiding materialism or things of luxury during your stay. Remember sustainability counts use water carefully, do not use materials that are not biodegradable, do not waste food and consume fewer fossil fuels and rely on alternative energy.  

Tigers perhaps will come out of the endangered status one day and we will continue to have an opportunity to look at nature's amazing creation along with other creatures in their habitats. 

Let us be wise and restrained!

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Uday works as a naturalist and loves to blog on conservation and environmental issues. 

Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com

9755089323

Wildlife Tourism And Local Communities

Wildlife tourism though earlier considered to be the prerogative of the elite has come far down the line. It has assimilated in its wake many fruitful aspects with the passage of time. Though still promoted with hiccups, and often seen from a narrow perspective, the industry has empowered local communities like none has.

It also augurs crucial foreign exchange through thousands of wildlife enthusiasts from overseas. Tiger tourism is on the wishlist of an uncountable number of travelers all over the Globe. 

I have been visiting tiger reserves for more than three decades and have seen the positives. The ecosystems have grown to their completeness and roundabout holistic benefits have accrued. There has been a tremendous rise in converts as far as awareness of our environment is concerned. The reserves have also experienced a turnaround in animal populations (read bio-diversity). A new vocation has been generated in conservation research and skills of exploration i.e. guiding, birding, photography, etc among the youth.

Though tourism is not contributing factor, at least not directly, then safaris have become a learning experience for populations with no idea of how the ecosystems work, and how nature contributes to the preservation of our immediate environment. The people who have worked hard to preserve our inheritance have brought about this turnaround.  

Tribal Family - Courtesy Neeraj Vegad 

On one sight of the big cats and other predators, the first impression that is done away with is the vermin concept. I too used to think of tigers and leopards as bloodthirsty animals that would devour human beings on the first go. I now fear the ever-burgeoning unruly traffic and hoodlums in our society a far greater threat than being accidentally mauled by wild animals. The activity has also brought forth the National Pride that we hold in our incredible inheritance,        

I remember witnessing my first tiger at a very young age. It was a dead tiger, it lay listless at peace in its final slumber. It was legally hunted at Nauradehi WLS in MP before the legislation, but still, to me, it appeared an unpardonable crime against nature. I was too small to understand the implication of this heinous misdeed. The hunter moved amongst us...with his story of valor.. and had us running around him. This team of hunters visited us every year along with a wealthy relative far removed.  (sic).  The legislation put stop to this. 

Why I am writing about all this?

Well, our impressions about other life forms eventually shape our policies and our attitude towards them. Today modern education has inculcated teachings about things precious to our environment, earlier it was not so. Contemporary conservation is based upon equity...what we value, and the literature at our behest. India has been blessed with ancient conservation ethos but that has not proven to be enough...look where we stand today?    

In absence of (regulated) wildlife tourism, awareness about ecosystems would have moved back into a deep recess. Our attitude towards wilderness would have been uncaring and drastic...well it still is the case for many people. Secondly in a populist democracy, hard facts have to be drained down the gullets of those who administer this country...with syrup. 

It is the hotel/tourism industry that has been at the forefront of local employment apart from the administration...namely the forest department. The work experience and training imparted have been contributing factors towards empowerment. This has subsequently resulted in greater job opportunities and a hence better standard of living. Such initiative has been taken by the Kanha administration in conjunction with an NGO as well, and trainees are finding job opportunities in the industry all over. There may be many more such examples.   These are aspects that are rarely talked about and little appreciated.

Most of the employees are locals who have the developed skill to work in many faculties. This has come about with time and tourism. With experience and skill development they have become part of vocations and small businesses as well. And some in the tourism industry do distribute fruits of labor towards local infrastructure in form of donations or contributions.  

Benefits have accrued to the displaced lot as well as those living in the periphery.  From being in far-flung remote areas they have been connected by the hospitality industry with the mainstream and contribute to Nation development greatly.