Maintaining corridor connectivity a challenge, says NTCA chief Anup Kumar Nayak

What is the progress on tiger estimation?

The all India tiger estimation exercise involves a number of processes and stages. The first stage is fieldwork. We have 18 tiger bearing states. Apart from the 50 tiger reserves, wherever there’s a tiger bearing forest, probability of spotting tigers is high. Finding that out is phase-I work and it was supposed to be taken up in 2017-18. In phase-I, field staff collected data on tiger signs, which was uploaded on Android-based systems and submitted before the monsoon. Nearly 50 per cent work has been done.

What are some of the new things being done during this estimation?

We are using Android-based devices that would be used to feed GPS data of tiger signs. This will help us identify if the data uploaded is accurate. Apart from covering all tiger reserves, we are covering major forest areas outside tiger reserves where camera-trapping will be done. In all big states such as Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Madhya Pradesh, we are covering forests outside tiger reserves also.  

NTCA policies with regard to forest dwelling communities is often criticised. Does NTCA consider them as enabling agents in the conservation process or does it see them as communities who have to be moved out at any cost?

Tiger reserves are divided into three parts. 

First part is an inviolate area for critical habitats — the core area which has to be inviolate for breeding tigers. Then there are surrounding buffer areas for coexistence where we have to take care of the tiger as well as the people. We are not against communities. We have to seek the cooperation and participation of communities for the sustenance of the tiger population. Without their help, nothing will be successful. Having said that, we also have to ensure that the core remains inviolate so that tigers are able to breed properly.

In Sariska, studies clearly showed that tigers are not able to reproduce normally due to human interference. We should set aside some inviolate areas for the breeding population of tigers. That is where voluntary relocation of villagers should come in.

Do you see them as stakeholders who can actually enhance the conversation technique which are being used?

In most of the tiger reserves, the core areas have been earmarked in such a way that they do not have many villages.

But tigers venture a lot outside the core areas...

We are ensuring that the corridors are not broken. Connectivity is very important for long-term sustainability of the tiger population. Tigers have to go from one area to another. They move from high-density areas to low-density areas only when there is a corridor or a connecting habitat.

Fragmentation is a big issue whether in terms of corridor connectivity or linear infrastructure being built. How does NTCA aim to utilise its powers more to stop this kind of projects because there is a fine line between development needs of the region and also needs of habitat?

It is obviously a challenge. But it is always possible to have a win-win situation, whereby the corridor is maintained and developmental work also takes place. 

With minor deviations of the line and mitigation measures, all of these will be possible. We can make this the mainstream in all developmental projects. Not only in corridors, we want to make this the normative in all the areas...it is a challenge, but we will definitely try to implement it.