Tourists can patrol on foot in national parks

Tourists can patrol on foot in national parks
Category » Bhopal Posted On Tuesday, August 03, 2010
By Our Staff Reporter
Bhopal, Aug 3:

A 'Patrolling the Tiger Land' system is being introduced in Madhya Pradesh from the current year. Under the arrangement, tourists will be able to trek forests along with patrolling parties in the national parks.
Under the 'Patrolling the Tiger Land' system, tourists will get themselves registered at the gate of the national park/sanctuary. They will be allotted a patrolling party/trek by the concerning range officer or any other competent authority. Later, the tourists will take round of the jungles along with the patrolling parties.
The tourists can take food/drinking water along with them as per their requirements. The tourists will have to pay vehicle entry fees as per rules apart from separate charges for on foot tour. Only four tourists will be allowed to accompany a patrolling party. The patrolling tourists can also take rest in the patrolling camps of the forest department. Children below the age of 12 years will not be allowed under this system.
This arrangement will come into force from the next tourism season, which will commence from October 16, 2010.

Link - http://www.centralchronicle.com/view...rticleID=43564

This can be a double edged sword. Most of the people are not used to the "hardships" involved in trekking or the knowledge levels required. There are chances that the patrolling party can get bogged down by the tourists.

What would be their reaction when they come face to face with poachers? I hope the extremely limited patrolling staff that we have does not get hindered by the tourists in doing their job, as there may not be any more guards left to do independent patrolling.

It can be argued that in some cases, where the patrolling staff never go to the forest, these treks can help in atleast someone visiting the forest. However, does that solve the purpose of protection? Though, a lot depends upon implementation as well, this concept can trivialise protection, if it already hasn't. The question that comes to mind is why to start such dubious schemes in tiger reserves? If the idea is for patrolling, then it should be done in lesser known reserve forests rather than in the Tiger Reserves.

To me this is a trek or excursion into the forest will serve as a source of revenue and engagement for the tourism lobby. It is unfortunate that a purely tourism initiative is branded as patrolling. I fear, soon these will replace regular patrolling. If the idea is to promote tourism, then it has to be decided based on the carrying capacity of the place. Unregulated tourism is increasingly threatening the survival of our wilderness areas and wildlife. I hope the Government should give a serious thought before deciding on such schemes.

Sabyasachi

Sharing a report published in Times of India. It may be noted that the forest department never misses a chance in civil works. I guess, more such concrete structures will follow within the reserves in the guise of helping tourism. Funds are a problem only when it comes to paying salaries to field force, patrolling etc, but never a problem for civil works. This is true in every state.

Sabyasachi

MP turns tiger reserves into tourism havens
Nitin Sethi, TNN, Aug 7, 2010, 02.56am IST

NEW DELHI: In a bizarre plan, the Madhya Pradesh government has ordered that tiger reserves and all parks and sanctuaries in the state be opened to rampant tourism by turning even the forest guard posts deep in the tiger havens into tourist halts.

Contrary to communications from Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to some states asking to stop tourism in the core areas of tiger reserves and regulate it in the surroundings, MP has gone just the other way by ordering that tourists would now be even allowed to follow the forest guards and officers on routine patrolling.

In what could turn the safe haven for tigers into noisy picnic spots, the state government has ordered that tourists would even be allowed to carry their food and water deep into the forest department posts where they would be given accommodation.

Till date, even getting off designated vehicles in tiger reserves and national parks is prohibited to prevent disturbance to the natural habitat. The tourists, the Union environment and forests ministry has routinely advised, should only be allowed to go on designated tourist routes accompanied by official guides to prevent the wildlife being disturbed -- especially the tiger in its breeding grounds.

In Kanha tiger reserve in fact, the state government is now thinking of turning all forest beat offices inside into two-storied buildings with one floor being dedicated for tourists.

Coming at a time when the state and Centre are both working overtime to relocate tribals and other forest dwellers from the core of tiger reserves, the move to facilitate the businesses of the tourism lobby in the same area has not gone down well with the Union government, sources told TOI.

The step by state government comes even as the Union government has dithered on coming out with strict tourism guidelines as had been earlier prescribed by the Tiger Task Force in the wake of the Sariska fiasco.

The MP government had earlier also proposed to turn over a patch of wildlife zone to a private party to be run for high-end exclusive tourism which too the Centre had rejected outright.



The source article can be found here: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/i...ow/6266825.cms

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Saturday asked Madhya Pradesh to immediately scrap its new scheme of allowing tourists to trek along with forests guards in national parks, citing threat to animals from poachers who may take advantage by posing as visitors.
Environment minister Jairam Ramesh has shot off a letter to state chief minister Shivraj Singh pointing out that "Patrolling the Tiger Land" scheme goes against the spirit as well as the provisions of the Wildlife (Protection) Act to keep the core areas inviolate for tigers and wild animals.

"Hence exposing the tourists to sensitive patrolling routes, paths, strengths and weakness of the field staff would certainly pose a great threat to the safety of wildlife including tigers," the minister said.

He warned that as poaching was the biggest threat to wildlife, the poachers under the garb of tourists may acquire all details of the terrain besides the spatial occupancy of tigers and wild animals in the area.

"There is a very strong likelihood of the patrolling staff acting as 'guides' for the tourists with the latter luring them with rewards," the Union minister noted.

The Madhya Pradesh government is already drawing flak for the death of a tigress in Bandhavgarh sanctuary after it was hit by a tourists vehicle prompting the Centre to stress on regulating tourism in the protected areas.

Under the scheme approved by MP Chief Wildlife Warden HS Pabla, tourists will get themselves registered at the gate of the national park or sanctuary and will take round of the jungles along with the patrolling parties.

"Field patrolling is a specialised job involving lot of legwork and risk which may be possible only by the frontline staff who are recruited and trained to do the job," Ramesh said adding that tourists hardly have the physical or technical capacity to undertake the task.

Moreover, he added, the attention of the field staff would also be diverted to cater to the needs of the tourists rather than to focus on patrolling.

Ramesh also reminded the state government that any modification for construction of patrolling camps as proposed in the scheme for accommodating tourists amounted to "violation of the guidelines of the centrally sponsored schemes of this Ministry".

The Madhya Pradesh Government plans to start the scheme from the next tourism season, which will commence from October 16.

Taken from http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/h...ow/6271629.cms

More information on the controversial tourist patrolling scheme of the Madhya Pradesh Government. The member secretary of NTCA (National Tiger Conservation Authority) Mr. Rajesh Gopal has said that the tourist patrolling scheme violates Supreme Court Guidelines. Reproducing a Times of India article below.
Sabyasachi

MP govt's tiger patrolling scheme against SC guidelines: Gopal
PTI, Aug 12, 2010, 07.14pm IST


NEW DELHI: With MP government showing no inclination to withdraw its controversial "Patrolling the Tiger Land scheme," the Centre virtually warned it that the move may invite wrath of the Supreme Court, which has banned facilitating tourists in the sanctuaries in this way.

Referring to the Apex Court's guidelines issued in 2005, National Tiger Conservation Authority member secretary Rajesh Gopal said that the patrolling camps/chowkis/watch towers inside a tiger reserve (core as well as buffer) cannot not be used for accommodating tourists or facilitating tourism.

"As these structures have been constructed under Project Tiger for the sole purpose of accommodating the frontline field staff (at places with wireless), it needs to be ensured that they are solely used for patrolling/anti-poaching work," he added.

The official said the state government's move was not only against the Apex Court's guidelines but also violates Wildlife Act and orders given by NTCA from time to time.

Gopal's reminder to the state government has come on the heels of environment minister Jairam Ramesh's recent letter to state chief minister Shivraj Chauhan seeking a ban on the scheme.

So far there has been no response from the Madhya Pradesh chief minister in this regard.

Approved by State chief wildlife Warden, H S Pabla, the scheme aims to generate revenue by virtually throwing open the national park to the tourists who can trek with the forest guards to have a peep in the wildlife world. The scheme proposes to start from October.

However, taking strict view in the matter, Gopal cited Section 38(V) of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and said "tourists should not be allowed to patrol the core or critical tiger habitat owing to the risk involved vis-a-vis the intensive legwork in a formidable terrain with wild animals."

"Further, exposing tourists to sensitive patrolling routes and spatial presence of animals, besides the patrolling strategy would make the habitat vulnerable by exposing such details which may be confidential for apprehending the poachers," he pointed out.

He further said that the frontline staff would also be burdened with the task of acting as "caretakers" for the tourists, besides attending to their possible health related emergencies.

The Source article can be found here: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/h...ow/6300394.cms