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Contents From the Director's Desk .......... 1 Editorial .......... 2 National News .......... 3 “We have mapped crucial tiger habitats and their connectivity, which are already very fragile. We cannot afford to stress these habitats further by mines, roads or any such damaging development Issues .......... 11 activities if we want a future for the tiger. There cannot be any clearances in these areas. Tiger News from the States .......... 15 concerns must be factored in any development project in tiger habitats. International News .......... 40 The tiger must not be viewed as a negative or as an impediment to growth. The tiger is India’s life Wildlife Crime .......... 45 support system—hundreds of rivers flow through tiger reserves, and its forests are a shield against Research .......... 49 Climate Change impacts.” Media .......... 50 Dr Rajesh Gopal, Member Secretary, NTCA Books .......... 52 Films .......... 53 NGOs .......... 54 "There are no shortcuts in conservation. Given below is the outline of a strategy for securing the About Ranthambhore Foundation .......... 56 future of the tiger. Useful Links .......... 56 ´ Dedicate two per cent of the country's land mass for the tiger and make this area inviolate. ´ Emphasise education, awareness and science for better field results ´ Recruit youth to fill frontline staff vacancies with a 10 per cent reserve strength for illness/leave/emergency etc. TigerLink is a knowledge centre, providing access to up-to-date information on the tiger. The journal TigerLink collates and analyses news on the tiger across its range countries with particular focus on ´ Appoint dedicated senior officers as range officers and above. India, and seeks to support and strengthen on the ground initiatives and influence governments. It ´ Constitute awards/rewards to inspire field staff. serves as an information base for the media, policy-makers and all organsiations and individuals concerned with tiger conservation. ´ Ensure specialised training of field staff in information gathering, anti-poaching and legal matters. We regret if any error has been printed in this document. ´ Limit the field staff's daily shift to eight hours and give them legal protection. We welcome views and information. Please send your feedback to: [email protected] ´ Create family station for frontline staff with education, health and other basic facilities. This issue of TigerLink has been sponsored by PK Sen, director, Ranthambhore Foundation; former director, Project Tiger Mr Siddharth Shriram, Chairman and Ms Chhaya Shriram, Trustee of SHRIRAM SMARAK NIDHI Wild and alone is how tigers need to live, as ancient Chinese tradition knew. For our spiritual health, we human beings need to respect this animal to whom Chinese tradition looks up as the solitary “happy tiger in bamboo,” guardian of wild nature. Design and Printed by Graphic & Data Systems Tiger farming caters to the most gullible and ignorant aspects of human nature. It is a barbaric practice. It can give China a bad name internationally and thus injure the achievements of China Cover Credit: Rajarshi Banerji today. To farm tigers in order to sell illegal tiger parts for medicine is a way of earning money that looks primitive and exploitative. The rest of the world has learned from China in the past, from its The tiger on the cover is the Jhurjhura female, killed by a vehicle in Bandhavgarh this May. traditions of respecting nature, science and spiritual truth. Tiger farming betrays these traditions. She left behind three orphaned cubs, one of whom also died subsequently. Ruth Padel, noted poet and author of Tigers in Red Weather Produced by Ranthambhore Foundation, RZ-1, Bhawani Kunj (First Floor) Behind D-2, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi-110070, India Telefax: +01-011-26893085 Mobile: 9810146686 E-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] For private circulation only TIGERLINK A Network of Concerned People and Organisations Across the Globe to Save the Tiger NEWS REVIVED VOL-7 OCTOBER-2010 From the Executive Director’s Desk Contrary to the general perception, we neither require more funds nor the wisdom. What we do need is Dear Friends, concerted effort in the field and timely and honest Project Tiger is about to complete 38 years of utilisation of available funds and the political will to conservation. In these 38 years, it has received many address the major issues. State Governments will have bouquets and brickbats. to be more pro-active and a confrontational attitude While some of its initiatives have succeeded, others must be avoided. have failed. However, I feel some reserves are suffering due to Meanwhile, new initiatives have also been taken lack of adequate attention primarily by the State up. Out of the many new initiatives taken by the Government. The sixteen tiger reserves put in the ‘poor’ Government of India, enhancement of the relocation category, most of them have more tigers than Panna package, smoothening procedural delays in transferring and Sariska even after relocation of tigers. If we think funds to the field, restocking tiger habitats where local that by relocating five or seven tigers to Panna or extinctions have taken place, etc can be considered Sariska can bring back their old status, then by the historical. I know that some other new initiatives might same logic why are we ignoring those sixteen? My not have the desired impact, but it is my considered personal opinion is Government of India’s pressure on opinion that between success and failure, the tiger has states can bring desired result in these reserves. caught the global limelight and is surviving today. The Our city-centric tiger conservation efforts have not credit for this must go to Project Tiger. Many global done any good in last four decades. We have to shift experts had categorically announced that end of 20th our focus around tiger areas where, particularly the Century would see the end of wild tigers in India. But Non Government Organisations have to take very active with my long association with Project Tiger, I am quite role. Support from the District Administration in sure that the tiger will not go extinct in India in next ameliorating causes of distress of the villagers should hundred years. be a major state policy as they have the resources for The millennium issue of a leading fortnightly magazine addressing such issues. The forest department should hailed Project Tiger as “one of the ten major initiatives act as a catalyst to gain confidence of the local people. of the Government of India since Independence”. The existing efforts, largely centred in the metros and Four decades of conservation has given us the conference room, may seem glamorous but unless considerable experience and knowledge to understand some of us take our conservation initiatives to the field, the priorities of tiger management and conservation. they will not yield any positive result. We know the path we must take to save the tiger. P.K. Sen TIGER LINK 1 Editorial in a country of 1.3 billion, with their growing needs and aspirations. This also means that tigers and people live cheek- A new study reiterates what we already know: India has the by jowl, resulting in constant—and sometimes fatal-faceoffs. maximum number of source sites and breeding populations: But we still haven’t taken on board the gravity of the issue. The future of the tiger rests with us; India is the tiger’s best Our action is reactive, in response to a desperate, difficult hope. situation, usually to trap or tranquilise the animal and release So are we living upto our responsibility as the guardian it elsewhere, or pack it off to the zoo. In rare cases, the man- of the tiger? We have much to be proud of: India committed killing tiger is ‘disposed off’. But such ad-hoc measures lack to the cause nearly four decades back, and has set aside long term perspective. The plague of conflict is spread all land and resources—difficult, given the spiraling population- across tiger country and is further aggravated by degraded and the race for growth. Our fund commitment is more than fragmented habitats. Conflict takes a terrible toll on both all range countries put together. people, and tiger. Its impact goes beyond the immediate loss Yet the crisis worsens by the day…and the Tiger of life and livelihood. It leads to loss of support for the tiger Doomsday Clock ticks on. and fuels poaching. Here’s why: Why is it that there continues to be a paucity of funds The tiger’s most unfortunate truth—besides the fact that even after 35 years of conservation efforts, and much ado Man wants to make a meal of its bones—is that the ground over ‘Saving the Tiger’? Why has the situation on the ground beneath the tiger’s feet is rich with minerals, and greed has remained static even after three decades? Why is it that cast its eye on it. reserves have no fuel for patrolling vehicles, to fight forest Tiger habitat is just about one per cent of India’s fires or to pay frontline staff? Why is it that we cannot even landscape, and even this tiny domain is not safe. The gravest meet basic needs of tiger reserves and managers have to beg threat is the pressure to open up forests for coal and thermal and borrow to maintain some semblance of protection? The power plants, in pursuit of a double digit GDP, never mind point is: is there actually a paucity of funds? Or is it that that tigers, its forests, and water catchment areas are huge amounts of money is being poured on dead-end and destroyed in the process. Mines and coal projects have lucrative plantation and afforestation schemes rather than ravaged the landscape around Tadoba.