The consistent rise in tiger population in Uttarakhand is good news but it also elicits focus on the various challenges being faced in the State. Both activists and the State’s Forest and Wildlife minister acknowledge that the achievement also brings with it challenges that have to be addressed effectively.
Activists point out that due to the population of tigers increasing consistently in Uttarakhand, the state will have to focus more on and work more efficiently to tackle three main challenges.
Habitat destruction, poaching and human-wildlife conflict are the three major challenges which need to be addressed effectively.
Talking to The Pioneer, the State’s Forest and Wildlife minister Harak Singh Rawat said that though Uttarakhand is ranked third among Indian States when it comes to tiger population, it is actually first because its geographical area is smaller than that of Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.
“However, our achievement also brings challenges for us. Since we have limited geographical area, the rising number of tigers is likely to increase pressures on both the big cats and people. For example, a report by the Wildlife Institute of India had stated that the carrying capacity of the Corbett national park for tigers is 150 but in the latest population estimate it has been revealed that there are 250 tigers in Corbett. Tigers are territorial and also indulge in infighting. The tigers will look for new areas and prey.
They may also tend to prey upon the domesticated animals of the villagers living near forest areas which will exacerbate the human-wildlife conflict. Recently, two bikers were killed by a tiger on the Kotdwar-Dugadda motor road. Ours is the only state in India where tiger presence has been reported in all the 13 districts.
We have already been working on mitigating human-wildlife conflict.
However, on the basis of the latest data in the report on Status of Tigers in India-2018, we will prepare a new action plan for mitigating human-wildlife conflict and other related issues,” said Rawat.
According to the principal chief conservator of forests, Jai Raj, in Uttarakhand, protected areas account for about 15 per cent of the state’s total geographical area whereas the national average is five per cent.
However, activists point out that such factors should not make the authorities complacent because effective measures are needed to prevent human-wildlife conflict from escalating. In the interests of the wildlife and the people, it is vital that effective measures be taken on time.
Due to habitat destruction, damage to traditional wildlife corridors and other factors, the human-wildlife conflict especially involving elephants and leopards has been on the rise in recent years, they point out.