ENVIRONMENT-INDIA: Man and Nature Battle It Out In Tiger Reserve

By Neena Bhandari Reprint | | Print |

Neena Bhandari

RANTHAMBORE, INDIA, Oct 11 1995 (IPS) - This internationally renowned Tiger Reserve, situated in the western Indian state of Rajasthan, is fast turning into one of the major frontlines in the planet- wide battle for survival between man and nature.

Ranthambore, comprising a 27,450 sq km core area called the Ranthambore National Park and a buffer zone comprising three sanctuaries — the Ranthambore Sanctuary (118 sq kms), the Keladevi Sanctuary (674 sq kms) and the Sawai Mansingh Sanctuary (12,760 sq kms) — is an ecological oasis for the rapidly vanishing tiger.

In 1973, there were only 14 tigers in Ranthambore. In the 1980s their number rose to 40. In the past two years, seven cubs have been born here and the number of tigers is estimated to be 36.

To sustain the foodchain of the tigers, Ranthambore’s unique ecosystem supports as many as 272 species of birds and several protected species like the leopard, ratel, sloth bear, caracal, desert cat, soft-shell turtle and crocodile, besides the spotted deer, chinkara, sambhar, cheetal and porcupine.

The conical hillocks of the ancient Aravalli ranges are juxtaposed with the flat topped hills of the Vindhya mountains that are covered with thick forests, to form this reserve. It is also an important catchment area for the Chambal and Banas rivers, with six lakes, three perennial streams, seven springs and 100 water holes.

But this lush forest area has come under tremendous pressure of grazing in the past few years. At least 10,000 cattle come to graze in the sanctuary everyday and nearly 150,000 migratory sheep browse here for eight months in the year.

Most of the inhabitants of the villages around the sanctuary rear buffaloes and depend on milk produce for subsistence.

“As the area is extensively cultivated and hardly any common pastures exist, we have no option but to depend on the forest for grazing of our animals,” says Phulia, one of them, adding, “If we are caught we sometimes have to pay a penalty of Rs 100 (three dollars).”

The villagers often move in organised gangs with their herds, pushing their way to the periphery of the protected area and making the Reserve’s cattleguards’ jobs more difficult. “If we try and stop them, they retaliate by hurling stones,” says Phoolchand, a cattleguard.

The cattle are not inoculated, thus increasing the risk of the foodchain being contaminated by a host of common diseases.

The forests of the Reserve also meet the fuelwood needs of the villagers and people in neighbouring cities. The villagers have been permitted to collect deadwood, but during the monsoon season when dry wood is scarce and most of the animal dung is used as fertiliser, they axe trees to extract fuelwood.

“The average farmers’ landholding is small and the production of crop residue is not enough to meet local fuel needs. Also crop residues are only available for a very short while so we have no option but to get fuelwood from where it is available,” says Bhajanlal of Sherpur village whose wife Harpali’s daily chores include collection of fuelwood like the other village women.

Though contracts have been farmed out for the villagers to collect medicinal leaves, fruits and shrubs like Grewia used as roofing material, growing fuelwood needs necessitate the axing of trees as well.

Says Manwar, 20, “If we are caught while running with headloads of fuelwood, the authorities extract fines and sometimes when we plead that we have no money, they keep the wood or burn it before us.”

But women like Manwar are seldom caught alone. Forest guards and officials complain that they have even been attacked with axes while trying to apprehend the villagers. Two Forest department personnel lost their lives in such struggles recently.

A policeman deployed in the Reserve on deputation says, “We have been injured several times while stopping cattle from grazing and apprehending villagers with headloads because they strike back and we, despite being armed, are not empowered to fire.”

Collection of timber and stones from quarries around the reserve has been further disturbing the pristine tiger habitat. Anogeissus Pendula, a tree used for house construction, for making agricultural implements like ploughs, for fencing fields and making storehouses for dry fodder, is the hardest hit species.

It is not pressure from villagers alone, but also disturbance caused by tourists that is destroying the calm of the sanctuary. As many as 40,000 tourists visited Ranthambore last year.

Says a forest official, “We are trying to restrict the timings to three hours in the morning and three in the evening according to the sunrise and sunset. The movement of vehicles has also been curbed which has improved sightings.”

Another area of concern is the presence of some 60-odd families of indigenous Moghyars who are traditional hunters and poach on small animals for meat. They have also started destroying fauna at the behest of traders in animal skins. They claim they have no other means for survival.

Villagers say their crops are invariably raided and damaged by wild animals. An estimated 30 percent of their produce is eaten by the animals, they allege. This gives them all the more reason to hunt down the animals, they say.

The forays by the villagers into the forests have even led to some instances of cattle lifting by the tigers, further increasing the conflict of interests.

A number of the villagers work as casual labour in surrounding cities during the building season. For the rest of the year they eke out a living by farming their meagre land holdings. When they leave their lands fallow, they are totally dependent on the forest for sustenance.

These pressures have led to the degradation of the forest land and the formation of gullies and ravines. Timely inputs by way of fuel and fodder plantations and soil and water conservation programmes are needed to save the protected area, environmentalists say.

They suggest that the villagers be involved in this task, besides being trained and used as nature guides to increase awareness among them. The villagers should also be provided with alternate grazing areas and taught means of sustainable use of forest resources by being included in their management, the greens add.

“What is important for them to realise is that the conservation of the forest area is not only the key to the survival of animal species, but crucial for their survival as well,” says one of them.