BENGALURU: Evaluating government-led voluntary resettlement initiatives in four protected areas including Nagarhole, scientists find that better planned resettlement projects followed by post-relocation support can not only improve people’s lives but also aid recovery of wildlife populations and its vanishing habitat.
Scientists from Centre for Wildlife Studies say, “If 90 per cent of the surveyed households wanted to move out from wildlife areas, it was for a host of reasons – better education, jobs, health care, roads, avoiding conflicts and avail other facilities. If the rich wanted to move out for escaping from conflicts with the wildlife, the poor section wanted improvement in agricultural opportunities.
However, there was a need for long-term monitoring, post resettlement to ensure commitments made to the re-settlers were fulfilled. Offering practical packages and socially relevant opportunities was the key to enable people in reestablishing.”
Researchers studied this issue in four protected areas - Nagarhole, Tadoba (Maharashtra), Kawal and Wayanad (Kerala). They conducted surveys on 592 adult residents of 16 villages. This was to understand what influences the decision of people while relocating from a PA.
Lead author Dr Krithi K Karanth said, “Voluntary resettlement is an important conservation approach when it is equitably and justly implemented. Our findings suggest why people want to move is critical to such efforts prior to huge investments of effort, money and time in the process.”
In Nagarhole, the provisions of the rehabilitation package policy was an important reason for larger families to relocate. Many daily wage labourers and hunter-gatherers were able to transfer from farm-based livelihoods in this PA. However, the package policy fits not all people so there was need for restructuring by providing jobs and skill training.
Almost 90 per cent of households that were surveyed expressed a willingness to move so as to have better access to roads, health care, and education. The study revealed that multiple parameters including cultural, socio-economic, and political forces influence people’s decisions crucially and concluded that well-planned resettlements with post-relocation support could improve people’s lives and boost wildlife conservation.