In Odisha, the green is painted red this season. The prime wildlife species of the state are in grave danger. Elephants are dying by the dozens. If not killed, the giants are hounded out in huge conflict zones. Tigers are not far behind in the list. When a big cat was poached in Bargarh recently, the first reaction of forest authorities was to cover it up.
If that is not ridiculous enough, the state government has spectacularly messed up the implementation of country’s first ever inter-state tiger relocation project by failing to rehabilitate a tigress from Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve. The administration, it appears, can neither save one nor can it carry out a re-introduction smoothly. Poachers have a field time. To put it bluntly, massive cracks in wildlife conservation management are widening fast, indicating a systemic collapse. Odisha was among the first states to have gotten a tiger conservation project more than 40 years ago. Yet it does not have a scientific monitoring mechanism in place. Investment in wildlife research and logistics is virtually non-existent.
In the last two decades, the forest department of the Naveen Patnaik government has not been able to create a set of trained elephants to help tiger monitoring in protected areas and tackle conflict. To find the best practices and sound management, it does not have to look far. Madhya Pradesh which gifted tigers for re-introduction in Satkosia has perfected the art but Odisha’s forest bureaucracy is unwilling to accept new ideas adopted world over. In the last year, MP successfully rehabilitated at least six tigers which faced conflict with humans. While wildlife conservation and management need a multi-disciplinary approach, Odisha’s administrative departments are cut off from one another.
Two decades is a long time to build a strong processes-oriented system. However, that has not happened despite huge funds pumped in by both the state and the Centre. The rot runs deep and must be cleaned up fast before the decline in Odisha’s rich biodiversity becomes irreversible.