Protect wildlife but not at the cost of tribals, GreenMin told

With the process of notifying critical wildlife habitats (CWH) to create inviolate spaces in national parks and sanctuaries under way, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) told the environment ministry in a meeting last month that rights of tribals and forest dwellers living in these habitats should not be compromised.

DNA had reported on Monday that the environment ministry had sent all state governments guidelines for notification of CWH last month. Soon after, a secretary-level meeting took place between the ministries, sources privy to the developments said.

The National Tiger Conservation Authority's March 2017 advisory, which asked states not to settle matters of rights of forest dwellers in critical tiger habitats under the Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006, came up for discussion during the meeting.

NTCA had based the advisory on the fact that CWH guidelines were not formulated and hence rights should not be settled inside protected areas before notifying CWHs.

MoTA officials told their counterparts in environment ministry that while interests of wildlife should be protected, it should not be at the cost of tribals and forest-dwelling communities.

NTCA's advisory had drawn strong criticism from tribal rights groups and had alleged that it was illegal and in violation of the FRA. They have also raised questions on the process of notifying CWHs without first settling the pending rights of thousands of tribals inside wildlife habitats.

A government source sought to play down the criticism. "Officials from union tribal affairs ministry and state tribal departments will be involved in the process of CWH notification and communities will not be uprooted settling of rights or compensation."

The CWH guidelines said that a seven-member expert committee, chaired by an officer of Chief Conservator Forests rank having jurisdiction over a park or sanctuary, should be constituted in all states to identify CWHs. A representative of MoTA, one social scientist, two experts on life sciences, sarpanch of each local panchayat falling in the area of the national park and an assistant conservator of forest will be the other members of the expert committee. Sources said MoTA conveyed to environment ministry that secretary, state tribal department, would be their nominee on the expert committees across states.

Expert Committee

• Panel will include a MoTA representative, a social scientist, two life sciences experts, lcoal sarpanches, an assistant conservator of forests. 
• MoTA told green ministry that secy of state tribal dept would be their nominee on the expert committee