CHENNAI: In a significant push for conservation efforts, the State government has renewed its move to form the fifth and biggest tiger reserve in Tamil Nadu measuring over one lakh hectares.
It will be named as Megamalai-Srivilliputhur tiger reserve, with Megamalai wildlife and Srivilliputhur Grizzled Giant Squirrel sanctuaries forming the major chunk of the new proposed tiger reserve, besides parts of Theni and Madurai forest divisions.
The population of tigers has witnessed a steep increase. It has tripled in the State in just eight years between 2006 and 2014. From 76 tigers in 2006, the number of big cats shot-up to 229 in 2014, as per a report on the Status of Tigers in India - 2014 by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). Officials say the number is likely to increase further considering the healthy sightings reported in the ongoing All-India Tiger Estimation.
If the State government declares the new tiger reserve, it will help forest department evolve better management plan for conservation. Recently, at an event organised to remark International Biodiversity Day, Forest minister Dindigul C Sreenivasan and secretary Nasimuddin hinted at expediting formation of the reserve. SP Yadav, a former deputy inspector general of NTCA and also ex-assistant secretary-general of Global Tiger Forum (GTF), said that Tamil Nadu government should declare the new tiger reserve as early as possible.
NTCA has given in-principle clearance for proposed Megamalai-Srivilliputhur tiger reserve in 2014. It’s a very critical habitat. “India has sound management plans for all the 50 designated tiger reserves, but there is a problem in buffer zones. As per the Conservation Assured Tiger Standards (CATS), a rapid survey undertaken of current management in 112 sites in 11 tiger range countries, revealed that number of tigers are in buffer zones.
In India, 26 per cent tigers are outside tiger reserves and management of such areas is an issue. India specific Management Effectiveness Evaluation is in progress and hope the NTCA will be able to make it public it in 2018,” he said highlighting importance of bringing more tiger landscape into protected area. Keshav Varma, World Bank’s Program Director for Global Tiger Initiative (GTI), also said NTCA will grant funds only for national parks and tiger reserves. He argued that the Union government should adopt a landscape approach, rather than limiting its conservation to protected areas. “In India, tiger population is increasing and more big cats are pushed to buffer areas where there is less prey base. We have to protect the entire tiger landscape, otherwise we are only inviting man-animal conflicts.”
Meanwhile, CP Rajkumar, honorary wildlife warden and founder of VANAM (Vaigai Association for Nature Resources and Mountain Ranges) VANAM, said realisation of proposed Megamalai-Srivilliputhur tiger reserve is also critical for protection of Vaigai river, which originates in Megamalai. Of late, the river is slowly dying.
Rajkumar is also part of seven-member technical expert committee formed by forest department in 2016 to study the proposal for new tiger reserve. “I don’t know where the things have gone wrong. It’s good that government talking about this again,” he said. Senior forest officials said that the proposed reserve is contiguous to Periyar Tiger Reserve in Kerala. “It already has good big cats presence and the ongoing tiger census will help us push for the protection,” the official said. Tamil Nadu already has four tiger reserves.