A Case Study in Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala, Involvement Local People

Institutional Aspect of Protected Areas and Local but later, eco-development became part of PFM. IEDP was funded People’s Involvement into the Management: by the World Bank with two main thrusts, namely: (1) improvement of protected area (PA) management and (2) A Case Study in Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala, involvement local people. The positive impact of the IEDP in the 1 India improvements of PA management are in the PA planning, infrastructure, administrative structure, reduction of negative ○Ellyn K. DAMAYANTI2, Maheshwar DHAKAL3, MASUDA Misa1, NOSE dependencies on PA resources by local communities, removal of Mitsuhiro4, Pramod G. KRISHNAN5 exploiter agencies, dissemination of PA values and Eco-development Programs, and relations between PA and villagers. Involvement of local people in the management of PA A. Introduction are in the form of employment opportunities to local people, Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) is one of the well-known wildlife benefit-sharing arrangements for PA stakeholder, poverty sanctuaries in India, rich with flora and fauna, which among them alleviation, empowering local communities, enhancing social could only be found here. PTR Eco-Development Project since standing, and involving local people into the protection of the 1997 attracts domestic and foreign tourist through Eco-tourism park. Program, which involving participation of local people in Thirty-one respondents who have been participating in the management of the program. According to KFD (2001), more than IEDP by becoming Eco-development Committee (EDC) members 400,000 tourists visit the reserve every year, out of which 8% are were interviewed with stratified random sampling. They belong to foreigners. 3 types of EDC, namely neighborhood EDC, user-group EDC and “Success stories” in PTR must come through long history of professional EDC. The result shows that they improved their management. The protected area status of PTR, namely wildlife livelihood and left NTFP collection activities, which related to the sanctuary since 1950 and national park for the core area since reduction of negative dependencies on PA resources. Occupation 1982, must have different priority and management. The process of respondents also changed as shown in figure 1. Professional and success of involving local people’s participation in the EDC members have their job from PTR and therefore they are Eco-development Project became the trigger for other involved actively in the protection of the forest, while sanctuaries to implement eco-development project. Considering neighborhood EDC members for living very near to the park, they the reserve is surrounded by highly populated human settlements, are always ready to go for forest protection whenever PTR needs. there must be some ideas and strategies, and also problems and challenges that should be overcome to reach this success. Changes in Respondents' Occupation

(n=31) B. Objectives and Method The objectives of this study are analyzing the institutional 100% aspect and historical background of the establishment of PTR, and housewife 90% analyzing the involvement of local people into the management unemployed of PTR. Method used in this study is interview with managers of PTR, local people, NGOs and NGIs. The study was conducted from 80% watcher August 14 to September 27, 2004, in Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala teacher State, India. 70%

labor C. Results 60% 1. Institutional aspect and historical background of the shop owner establishment of Periyar Tiger Reserve 50% Table 1. Chronology of Periyar Tiger Reserve home-industry Year Happenings 1895 Completion of Mullaperiyar Dam 40% tour guide 1899 Periyar Reserve Forest no. 39 (Travancore) NTFP collector 1934 Nelikkampetty Game Sanctuary 30% 1950 Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary fishing 1972 Indian Wildlife Protection Act 20% 1973 Project Tiger Reserve farmer 1978 Periyar Tiger Reserve 10% 1982 Periyar National Park 1990 Joint Forest Management 0% ~1997 1997-2002 2002-2004 1991 Project Elephant into Periyar PTR 1996 India Eco-development Project Figure 1. Occupation of respondents 2000 Participatory Forest Management (PFM) 2004 Closing of India Eco-development Project Local people’s involvement into the management of PTR not only in the form of employment and protection, but also in the The year 1950, 1978 and 1982 were important years in the dissemination of PA values, information and communication, and institutional aspect of Periyar Tiger Reserve, because after those empowerment of local communities. years the place bears three names: Wildlife Sanctuary (WS), Tiger Reserve (TR), and National Park (NP). It is a unique case, because D. Conclusion usually the status of a park influences the management, and PTR is a single management with 2 statuses of PA and 1 status usually one park has one status. In case of PTR, management is of project. Managing 3 statuses in one park is not easy and controlled by single management, and status of the park (WS, TR, stakeholders’ cooperation is necessary. Local people are the NP) is expressed in the program and zoning system. nearest stakeholders and their involvement into the management of PTR was not come easily. So far, money, awareness and 2. Involvement of local people into the management of dedication are very important in this involvement. Periyar Tiger Reserve India Eco-development Project (IEDP) was the initiation of Acknowledgement local people’s involvement into the management of PTR, earlier I would like to thank the Japan Society for the Promotion of than the formal PFM (initiated in 1998 and implemented in 2000), Science (JSPS) who funded this study, Government of India and Kerala Forest and Wildlife Department (KFD) who issued the study permission, Periyar Tiger Reserve and EDC members for the 1 Oral presentation, Japan Forestry Economic Society, Tsukuba, assistance and cooperation in the field study. 21 November 2004 2 Life & Environmental Science, Univ. Tsukuba, Japan 3 Environmental Science, Univ. Tsukuba, Japan 4 Hinodeya Research Institute for Ecological Life, Kyoto, Japan 5 Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala, India