[Assam] Kaziranga may be converted into tiger reserve

[Pradip Kumar Datta]

Kaziranga may be converted into tiger reserve
>From Our Spl Correspondent
 NEW DELHI, Aug 6 – Home to one-horned rhino, Kaziranga National Park is among eight wildlife sanctuaries identified for possible conversion into tiger reserve. Alarmed by dwindling tiger population, Government of India has drawn plans to designate selected wildlife sanctuaries into tiger reserves. The Ministry of Environment and Forest after hectic rounds of discussions has zeroed down on eight such wildlife parks, including KNP. 

The Government of India has approved in principle the upcoming new tiger reserves, the names of which are likely to be announced later, sources said. 

The eight wildlife sanctuaries and national parks which have been so identified includes the Kaziranga National Park in Assam, Annamalai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, Parambikulam Wildlife 

Sanctuary Kerala, Udanti and Sita Nadi Wildlife Sanctuaries in Chhattisgarh, Satkosia Wildlife Sanctuary in Orissa, Achanakmar Wildlife Sanctuary in Chattisgarh, Dandeli Wildlife Sanctuary and Anshi National Park in Karnataka, Sanjay National Park and Sanjay Dubri Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh and Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu. 

The proposal is to depute teams comprising researchers and scientists to assist the State Governments in conserving the tigers. The core and buffer areas would be identified and the boundaries marked by milestones on the periphery of the core, before tigers are transferred, sources said. 

A recent study by the WWF has revealed that during the past 80 years, 26 percent of the tiger area has been lost in 80 districts within the country. During this period, the human population has increased from 2384 million to 10274 million. 

Tiger conservation in India is going through a time of crisis. As estimations of actual numbers are on a decline, conservationists are concerned that — and unless — efforts for protection are substantially stepped up, this decline will lead to criticality, the WWF said this month. 

The predicament of continuous reduction of tiger habitat and fragmentation due to development projects, human habitation on forestland and encroachments, rail lines, roads, canals, is gaining momentum without sufficient care for the environment. This is leading to increased human-wildlife conflicts, the isolation of tiger population and their prey base, it said. 

The WWF has recommended that efforts should be concentrated towards enhancing source tiger population, especially in areas outside the protected ones (National Parks and Wildlife Sanctuaries) - the WWF tiger estimation study is indicative that the major decline of tigers are from areas which lie outside these protected areas. 

There is an urgent need to connect habitats to allow dispersal of tigers and other wildlife, which can be particularly helpful in repopulating habitats where the population has gone down, it suggested. 

The WWF has recommended that State Governments need to be supported to strengthen their enforcement machinery, with a special grant on the lines of the Police Modernisation Programmes for insurgency and other civil unrest affected areas. 

KNP covers an area of 430 Sq Km along the river Brahmaputra on the North and the Karbi Anglong hills on the South. The National Park is home to about 15 species of India’s threatened mammals including tigers. Currently, Manas Wildlife Sanctuary is under Project Tiger, besides Pakhu-Nameri (Assam-Arunachal Pradesh) and Dampha in Mizoram.

       
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