THE REPORT OF THE TIGER TASK FORCE JOINING THE DOTS GOVERNMENT OF INDIA i The Tiger Task Force was constituted pursuant to the decision taken during the second meeting of the National Board for Wildlife on March 17, 2003 The Ministry of Environment and Forests (Project Tiger) set up the task force vide notification no.6 (4)/2005-PT dated April 19, 2005 to review the management of tiger reserves. The terms of reference of the Task Force are as follows: 1. Suggest measures to strengthen tiger conservation in the country. 2. Suggest measures to incentivise the local community in conservation of tigers. 3. Suggest measures to incentivise local forest staff posted in sanctuaries/national parks and ensure an effective HR plan for tiger conservation/wildlife managers. 4. Suggest measures to improve the methodology of tiger counting and forecasting. 5. Suggest methods of transparent professional audit of wildlife parks and placing data on tiger conservation in the public domain. 6. Suggest a new wildlife management paradigm that shares concerns of conservation with the public at large. 2. The Project Tiger Division of the Ministry of Environment & Forests would be facilitating the working of the Task Force and render all necessary help. 3. The Task Force should submit its report within three months from the date of this notification. 4. The sitting fees and travel cost would be reimbursed to the Members of the Task Force as per norms. The Members of the Task Force are as follows: (1) Ms Sunita Narain, Director, Centre for Science and Environment. - Chairperson (2) Shri H S Panwar, Ex-Head, Project Tiger and Ex-Head, - Member Wild Life Institute of India. (3) Prof Madhav Gadgil, Environmental Historian and member, - Member National Board for Wildlife. (4) Shri Valmik Thapar, Member, National Board for Wildlife. - Member (5) Shri Samar Singh, Ex-Secretary, Govt. of India and Member, - Member National Board for Wildlife. © 2005 Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (Project Tiger) Published by Project Tiger, Union Ministry of Environment and Forests Annexe No 5, Bikaner House Shahjahan Road, New Delhi – 11 www.projecttiger.nic.in ii Contents Introduction v Executive summary vi 01 The assessment 1-14 1.1 Conserving the tiger 2 1.2 The Sariska shock 14 02 A paradigm change 21-26 Making conservation work 22 03 The way ahead 27-143 3.1 The institutional agenda 28 3.2 The protection agenda 36 3.3 The illegal trade agenda 51 3.3a Domestic enforcement agenda 56 3.4 Innovative protection agenda 63 3.5 The science agenda 70 3.6 The research agenda 80 3.7 The relocation agenda 88 3.8 The coexistence agenda 99 3.9 The fringe agenda 117 3.10 The tourism agenda 132 3.11 Ecological services agenda 141 04 Action plan for change 145-151 05 References 153-159 iii ■ JOINING THE DOTS TIGER TASK FORCE REPORT 06 Annexures 161-206 I. The composition and terms of reference of the Tiger Task Force 162 II. Note of dissent by Valmik Thapar, member, Tiger Task Force 163 III. Response of the Chairperson, Tiger Task Force, to note of dissent 181 IV. Expert consultations based on terms of reference of the Tiger Task Force 184 V. Visits of the Tiger Task Force 187 VI. Experts requested to comment on methodology of tiger estimation 188 VII. Suggestions received on the terms of reference of Tiger Task Force 189 VIII. Methodology for estimating and monitoring tiger status and habitat 193 IX. Investing in institutions for change: strengthening the Project Tiger directorate 198 X. A critique of cadre-building in the forestry sector and suggestions for human resource improvement 200 XI. Amending the criminal provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 203 XII. Guidelines on establishment of widlife wings issued 1973-1981 206 iv Introduction The Tiger Task Force was set up because of a crisis — Ranthambhore in Rajasthan. In each visit, field the knowledge that the nation had lost its tigers from managers, foresters and guards told us about their the protected reserve of Sariska in Rajasthan. But the efforts to protect and what they believed had to be Tiger Task Force was also set up to look beyond this done in the future. We also visited villages located immediate provocation: there were lessons to be within the reserves and outside. learnt from this tragedy, lessons the nation needed to In all, it was an enormous learning experience, learn so that the survival of the tiger could be most of which we have tried to encapsulate in the guaranteed. Sariska, then, was not only a crisis but report. But even beyond what we have learnt and also became an opportunity. Clearly, the time had sought to explain, we can say with confidence the come to review the past and also to secure the future. tiger is not alone. When we began our work, we had It is evident that all is not well with the Indian an initial list of tiger experts, knowledgeable about tiger. It is this concern that led the Prime Minister, Dr tiger conservation and involved in its protection. But Manmohan Singh, to review conservation efforts at as we went about our work, we found the the National Board for Wildlife meeting held in constituency of the tiger to be truly widespread. March 2005, to later visit the tiger reserve of People across the country sent us their views and Ranthambhore in Rajasthan to assess the situation on comments. In these three months, we received the ground and to meet with the chief wildlife information from over 120 people. We met over 200 wardens of different states. The Prime Minister also people on our visits and more than 100 attended asked for the Tiger Task Force to be set up, with a consultations. mandate to review tiger conservation and to suggest a We would like to thank them all. We cannot, new paradigm that shares the concerns of obviously, include all the suggestions, but all have conservation with the public at large. It is clear to us been heard carefully; this has helped us devise our that his concern is a shared one: how we must save strategy for the future. It is clear that one problem of the tiger and how we must do that in the particular the tiger has been its ‘exclusive’ constituency; our circumstances of India, where forests are not hope is that this report will provide ways in which wilderness areas but also where people live. this group of supporters is enlarged and gets This was our objective as we began work. We included in the future efforts for tiger conservation. knew we had to find what has to be done, urgently The tiger needs all these friends, and more. and effectively, to safeguard the tiger’s future. We We thank the Union ministry of environment knew also we were not the first to engage in such a and forests for their cooperation; in particular, Dr task. India has had a long history of conserving the Rajesh Gopal, director, Project Tiger, for giving time tiger, in which many have been involved. And much to the Tiger Task Force. We learnt a lot from him and has already been done. we hope our report will help him and his colleagues, The Tiger Task Force started its work by seeking working on tiger conservation, in their efforts as well. answers. It organised four consultations: two in No report per se brings change. It is people, who Delhi, concerning issues related to conservation and believe in the report and its ideas, who are the poaching and on the methodology of tiger estimation; change-makers. We hope our report will find one in Nagpur, where tribal activists and non- believers as well. We hope that the agenda for tiger governmental organisations working on conservation will be secured, so that the future of the collaborative conservation put forth their opinion; tiger can be secured. It will need seriousness. It will and one in Bangalore, to meet researchers and need commitment. But it can be done. scientists working on different aspects of habitat and species research. Sunita Narain The Tiger task Force also visited tiger reserves — Samar Singh Periyar in Kerala, Pench in Maharashtra, Pench and H S Panwar Kanha in Madhya Pradesh and Sariska and Madhav Gadgil v Executive summary The Tiger Task Force report begins by placing itself wildlife reserves triggers antagonism”. This report in context (see: The assessment, p 1-20). There is an wanted development programmes and funds for immediate context to this report: the widely reported villages located in the periphery of conservation and discussed event of the disappearance of tigers in zones. It calls these zones “islands of conservation”. Sariska. There is also a larger context: the discourse “If the land surrounding such effort continues to and practice of tiger conservation in India. deteriorate in productivity affecting the availability In terms of the immediate context, the Sariska of resources for communities, these islands are debacle, the Task Force investigated the affair. The bound to succumb one day to the community’s report presents the conclusions (see: The Sariska demands”. shock, p 14-20). The protection system there has In the 1990s, a furious storm breaks, reminiscent completely collapsed. While officials were busy of today. The tiger is in deep trouble. Project Tiger, misreporting the record of tiger numbers, poachers India’s flagship conservation programme, is in deep roamed about and cleaned the reserve out. A trouble. Conservation itself is in deep trouble. This powerful mining lobby, keen to carry out mining was an opportunity to change directions.