BHUBANESWAR: Every rupee spent on management of Similipal Tiger Reserve (STR), an average benefit of Rs 3,038 is realised, reveals a latest study carried out by the National Tiger Conversation Authority (NTCA).
That’s how Similipal Tiger Reserve serves - not just the big cats but for the state as well.The ‘Economic Valuation of Tiger Reserves in India: Phase II’ study carried out by NTCA with the Centre for Ecological Services Management (CESM) at the Indian Institute of Forest Management (IIFM) between 2016 and 2019 states that the government spent around Rs 5.2 crore for management of Similipal in the State but realises Rs 3,038.3 for every rupee spent within and outside the tiger reserve.
The study on ecosystem services and values suggests that STR generates flow benefits worth Rs 16,000 crore and stock benefit worth Rs 49,300 every year. STR, located in the northern-most part of the state, is part of the larger Central Indian landscape and bio-geographic zone of the Deccan peninsula.
Based on the flow benefits of Rs 16,000 crore per year, the reserve generates around Rs 5.9 lakh per hectare a year. The worth of water provisioned from the TR stands at Rs 7,000 crore per year. The eco-system purifies water worth Rs 2,920 crore every year, while the climate regulation benefits from the reserve are estimated at Rs 3,482 crore a year.
Under the Total Economic Value (TEV) framework, the annual direct, indirect benefits and option values realised from the biosphere reserve is valued at Rs 89 crore, Rs 13,318 crore and Rs 2,623 core, respectively.
The NTCA and IIFM report has put the ecosystem services having direct and indirect impact on human health at a whopping Rs 29,897 crore per year. The report released recently said tiger reserves are among the most effective tools of conservation of natural forest and wilderness areas. STR is spread over 2,750 sq km and the fourth largest tiger reserve in the country.
Its core area measures 1194.75 sq km and the buffer zone is around 1555.25 sq km. NTCA and IIFM had carried out the first economic valuation study between 2013 and 15 in six tiger reserves - Corbett, Kanha, Kaziranga, Periyar, Ranthambore and Sundarbans. In the second phase, the study was carried out in 10 more tiger reserves including Similipal in Odisha.