Tigers may get right of passage in Vidarbha habitat corridors

[Mrudul Godbole]

Tigers may get right of passage in Vidarbha habitat corridors
Dipannita Das, TNN, Nov 1, 2010, 12.25am IST

PUNE: The Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and Maharashtra government will draw up a feasibility plan to secure a tiger habitat corridor between Nagzira wildlife sanctuary and Navegaon national park which is 50 km away in Vidarbha.

"National highway 6 passes through this corridor and the plan will look at how to protect it,'' said Sandeep Kumar Tiwari, head of WTI's Wildlands division. WTI is a non-profit conservation organisation.

Wildlife experts want such corridors to be declared eco-fragile areas or included in the buffer zone if they are along tiger reserves to strengthen the forest habitat link.

A habitat corridor is a strip of land that helps the movement of species between disconnected areas. An animal's habitat includes wetlands, burrowing sites, food, and breeding grounds. Urbanisation can split up such areas, causing animals to lose both their natural habitat and the ability to move between regions to use the resources for survival.

Corridors help animals to move and occupy new areas when food sources go scarce in their core habitat. Species can relocate safely when there is no human interference and animals can find new mates in neighbouring regions so that genetic diversity can increase and impact the population.

At present, there are no funds or legal means to protect the tiger corridor and it has put the wildlife population at risk, ensured almost no exchange of genetic material and increased human-animal conflict.

Since a majority of the wildlife corridors fall in private land areas and are also used by humans, the trust has sought legal protection from the Centre.

Minister of environment and forests Jairam Ramesh wrote to chief minister Ashok Chavan recently about the importance of Nagzira and Navegaon.

The letter spoke about their proximity and source population of the tigers. They are linked with another tiger reserve in Pench-Tadoba and are significant for ensuring the gene flow.

According to Tiwari, wildlife corridors have no legal protection. "We have requested the Centre and state governments to provide corridor protection by either extending the protected areas or declaring them eco-fragile. Educating the locals and placing signages near the state and national highways and reduction of dependence on corridors by acquiring land for highways can secure the corridors,'' he said.

At present, the corridor is cut off from all sides for the tigers in Bor wildlife sanctuary located between Tadoba-Andhari and Pench tiger reserves. Chidanand Reddy, range forest officer of Bor wildlife sanctuary, said corridor management should be made intensive.

"The industrial area in Butigori has cut off the corridor between Tadoba and Bor. Similarly, the upper Wardha dam has cut off the corridor between Melghat and Bor. The four-lane under-construction highway 7 between Bor and Pench will cut off another part. Underpasses would have left animal movement undisturbed,'' he said.

"Urban developments will worsen the situation. Tigers and other species will stop dispersing and will get stranded. Their connectivity ensures gene flow and no exchange of genetic material will make them vulnerable to diseases,'' said Reddy.

Vinay Kumar Sinha, conservator of forest, Tadoba-Andhari tiger reserve said that wildlife corridors are under threat. The last census shows that there are around 42 tigers in the reserve and an sizeable number outside the reserve too. Hence, the corridor needs protection.

There is large-scale mining in Chandrapur district and other industries are coming up. The Human dam project across Andhari river in the northeast of Tadoba will affect the corridor, said Sinha.

Some step are being taken by the National Tiger Conservation Authority. It has started a programme for corridor conservation programme in Tadoba which includes documentation of wildlife movement in adjoining areas, research on the corridor's use, man-animal conflict and educating the locals about the importance of the species and how to react during conflicts.

Article at : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/h...#ixzz142aeZDtS

[Sabyasachi Patra]

I agree that some steps are being taken by the NTCA. However, our issues are too huge compared to our current efforts.

Human habitations are growing at a rapid place in all over the country. Environment laws are flouted by the mighty as well as the meek without a thought about the consequences. Our wilderness areas, as a consequence, are fragmented and are no longer viable for sustaining viable populations of mega fauna. Inbreeding is becoming the norm in most of the wildlife sanctuaries.

Unless we recreate the contiguity between our wilderness areas, our megafauna will immediately get wiped out. We have to work on a missionary zeal to recreate these lost links. Unfortunately, the land valuations are rising and it is becoming difficult to buy land to prevent urbanisation in and around sanctuaries or in critical wildlife habitats falling outside our protected areas. There should be a public-private partnership to work on this area on an urgent basis.

Sabyasachi