HYDERABAD: The Ministry of Environment and Forests has flagged the poor management of wildlife sanctuaries in Telangana, among other issues, in its recent report in which 16 other States have bagged a better score. Teams of four experts each, including a faculty member from the Wildlife Institute of India, inspected 143 sanctuaries across the country for the Management Effectiveness Evaluation (MEE) report.
In Telangana, they inspected the Siwaram, Pranahita and Pocharam wildlife sanctuaries. Of the three, the Pranahita sanctuary, where tiger movement was recently observed, scored the lowest. An analysis of the scores by Express has revealed that Pranahita bagged 55.83 per cent — lower than 105 other sanctuaries in the country.
Pocharam scored 68.33 per cent and Siwaram — which is home to the Mugger crocodile, a threatened species — got 64.17 per cent. The MEE report has categorised sanctuaries and national parks as ‘poor’, ‘fair’, ‘good’ and ‘very good’. While Pocharam and Siwaram have been marked as ‘good’, Pranahita is ‘fair’.Among the southern States, four protected areas have been categorised as ‘very good’ — Someshwara and Sharavathi (Karnataka), Thattekad (Kerala) and Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park (Tamil Nadu).
What are the lacunae in sanctuaries?
The report has listed drawbacks for every sanctuary. In case of Siwaram, a small stretch of 4 km in the Godavari river, the report highlights the lack of food availability for crocodiles due to extensive fishing and the sanctuary being surrounded by agricultural fields.
Regarding Pocharam, it states: “The sanctuary is not ecologically connected to the larger landscape, giving rise to concerns about its viability and dispersal.” It has also highlighted the lack of documentation of flora, fauna and other aspects of the sanctuary. Regarding Pranahita, the report has highlighted “unabated human pressure” as a major concern, as there are 37 villages within a two-km radius from the sanctuary and three villages inside it.
Administration of sanctuaries needs a relook
Telangana had earlier taken up the reorganisation of its forest divisions, which invited silent criticism from experts. The report has mentioned that as a result, sanctuaries and national parks in the State are distributed in more than one unit, resulting in hurdles for proper coordination and management. It has advised the State to look into the need for a unified management command for each protected area.