NEW DELHI, Jan 2: The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has decided to support ten more protected areas in the country in 1998 while entering the second year of its three-year tiger conservation programme.Protected areas comprising less than two per cent of the land mass hold most of the tigers. Of the 3,750 tigers counted in 1993, 2967 were in the protected areas, WWF sources said.
The selection was made on the assumption that the support provided would improve the habitat, increase prey species as well as tiger population in the near future.
The organisation would take up ten areas, one in each state with the exception of Madhya Pradesh.
In Madhya Pradesh, it plans to take up two areas as the state has the largest tiger population and habitat.
The 1.4 million dollar programme, launched on July 1, 1997 to meet the priority needs of tiger conservation already covers Manas, Bandhagarh, Corbet, Dudhwa, Palamau and Periyar tiger reserves besides the Kaziranga national park.
The conservation programme
plans to check illegal trade in tiger parts, strengthen protected area management and anti-poaching operations, improving the planning of protected areas and other tiger habitat zones besides promoting participatory approaches.
It also aims at conducting surveys and research studies, promoting conservation education and public awareness, facilitating international collaboration and generating additional financial resources for tiger conservation.
The ten areas considered for support would be chosen (one each except in Madhya Pradesh) from : Arunachal Pradesh (Pakhui, Nameri, Namdapha), Assam-Nameri (Pakhui, Orang), Meghalaya (Balphakram, Seju), Mizoram (Blue Mountains), West Bengal (Mahananda), Andhra Pradesh (Eturnagaram, Gundlabrahmeswaram), Bihar (Valmiki), Uttar Pradesh (Katerniaghat, Kaimur, Ranipur, Rajaji), Orissa (Tikarpada, Sonabeda, Simlipal), Madhya Pradesh (Udyanti, Sitanadi, Achanakmar, Sanjay Gandhi, Tamor Pingla), Maharashtra (Tadoba, Andhari, Kolsa, Nagzira, Pench), Karnataka (Dandeli,
Anshi, Sharavathy, Mukombika), Tamil Nadu (Palani Hills, Indira Gandhi), Kerala (Chinnar, Parambikulam).
Nearly 93 per cent of the total tiger population in the country are concentrated in the 12 states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
The work plan chalked out for the programme envisages to protect tigers, its prey and habitat by controlling the unsustainable use of the habitat, from fire and exotic weeds in some areas.
The programme will also endeavour to lessen the man-animal conflict, compensation for damage to man, livestock and crop, assistance to persons moving out of protected areas and purchase of land where it is crucial for conservation needs.
It has decided to extend financial support to government approved and effectively managed trust funds working for the conservation of tigers in protected areas. The WWF was also considering setting up of an Indian Tiger Trust Fund
to support conservation efforts from its interest on an annual basis.
It will also assist in improving enumeration techniques and have an eye on development projects coming up in tiger habitats.
Tiger cells will be set up in each state on the lines of the one in Madhya Pradesh to maintain inter-state and intra-state cooperation to check illegal trade in tiger derivatives and to manage adjacent tiger reserves.
The World Wide Fund plans to involve saarc and the global tiger forum to control trans-border illegal trade in tiger derivatives.
Campaign launched
To combat growing pollution level in all major rivers in the country, a national rivers conservation campaign was launched today under the banner of Indian Council of Enviro-Legal Action, noted environmentalist M C Mehta said in Mathura on Thursday. Under the first phase of the programme, the council would undertake an extensive tour of the country to determine the nature and the degree of pollution in 14 major rivers of the country with
help from local social organisations, he told newsmen.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
