The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has approached the Ministry of Defence (MoD), seeking its help in saving the big cats by monitoring their movements using drones and CCTV cameras near the high security zones, including those close to the Indo-China border.
The MoD has resently denied the permission to carry out surveillance of tiger reserves using drones in areas near international borders and places, housing defence installations and ammunition depots. The NTCA henceforth took up the matter with the MoD, asking the armed forces to help in tiger monitoring at places where forest officers will not be allowed to use drones. After initial discussions with senior Defence Ministry officials, the NTCA was asked to send a detailed proposal.
Official sources in NTCA informed that a formal proposal is being drafted which will be sent to the MoD by June. It will cover various details from necessary training required to be imparted to army staff for handling various equipment required in the process to actually performing the task of monitoring. NTCA will also provide the list of tiger reserves in the country so that the Defence Ministry can demarcate sensitive areas to be managed by its personnel.
“We have asked them if their staff will be able to use the drones and collect regular information from sensitive areas. They should be able to inform the concerned forest officers immediately in case of any suspicion or human movements within the prohibited core areas,” said sources from NTCA.
Due to paucity in number of forest guards to man vast areas of tiger reserves and other protected sites, the tiger conservation authority is now banking upon technology to save big cats, across 44 reserves in the country. It is in the process of using drones, CCTVs and system of virtual fencing to monitor movement of tigers in and around reserves. Further, the advanced technology will also provide virtual access in difficult terrains and dense forests in tiger reserves, where forest guards are not able to enter.
The drone trials are presently being carried out in the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. Satisfied with the initial results NTCA wants to replicate it in other reserves. These may include either Corbett or Dudhwa tiger reserve in Northern India and Sathyamangalam or Mudumalai tiger reserves in southern India in the near future. The sources, however, said security clearance from MoD remains a major hurdle and also time consuming in some cases.
The Defence Ministry had earlier objected to drone trials in Kaziranga National Park in Assam, where a large number of one-horned rhinoceroses were killed by poachers last year. The ministry had denied permission on reasons of security.