NDTV portrayal of relocation from Tiger Reserve raises major ethical questions on man animal conflict situations

[Guest guest]

Of significant international importance, especially since the situation is

being replicated in many Protected Areas in Asia, particularly Indonesia and

India.

 

Comments by an observer of an NDTV report :

 

I was horrified to see this story on NDTV's website as I have been receiving

blow by blow accounts of the horror of this relocation. I had infact posted

a comment on NDTV's website suggesting that if the reporter who had written

it considered it so 'successful', s/he should move in to the minimal tin

sheds to which tribals living in the heart of the forest have been dumped in

Orissa's blistering heat of 45 degrees plus with not a speck of green on the

horizon, to experience the 'succes' first hand. NDTV chose not to post my

comment.

 

EPG has already posted the real story of Jenabil's relocation. The same can

be seen at the link below with a two line update at the end reporting the

death of a 40 year old tribal from heatstroke after searching for firewood

15 kms away leaving behind a wailing widow with two little children and the

death of a child. What the story still doesn't report is that while the

relocated villagers were pleading with the forest department to let them go

back to their old village to salvage building material from their abandoned

houses, a fire broke out in the tiger reserve which consumed the old village

and a large chunk of the surrounding forest. Forestry staff didn't venture

to put the fire out partly out of fear of maoists, and partly, with no local

villagers to help them, they could have done little themselves in any case.

Isn't it about time that the singular agenda of throwing all villagers out

of hurriedly declared 'critical tiger habitats' without following the

scientific, consultative and fact based procedure specified by law is

abandoned to develop a more nuanced approach to wildlife (and tiger)

conservation? Efforts to reduce tiger deaths at the risk of endangering

lives of forest dwellers through insensitive and brutal relocation are

unlikely to succeed. there can't be a bigger insult to injury than calling

such relocation 'successful'.

 

http://hotnhitnews.com/Out_of_the_green_into_the_dust_Tiger_protection_Maoists_n\

_forest_rights_Jenabil_Story_989_10059.htm

 

Madhu Sarin

 

 

*Subject:* Away from the forest home; successful relocation from Simlipal

Tiger Reserve in Orissa.

 

*Away from the forest home*

NDTV Correspondent

May 1, 2010, Simlipal

 

Here is a story of successful relocation at the Simlipal reserve in Orissa.

Today we look at how many families here are living comfortably after they

were moved out to make way for the tiger.

 

Adivasis from Jenabil valley in Orissa's Simlipal Tiger Reserve (STR) in a

bank for the first time in their lives to receive a part of Rs 10 lakhs that

the National Tiger Conservation Authority has promised each of the 61

families, who have vacated their forest home.

 

Although their rehabilitation from the core area of the park was on the

cards for years, no serious attempt was made until a new director took over

last August.

 

" That itself shows that things could have been done much earlier and we

could have got back all those valleys for wildlife much earlier. In fact

Jenabil would get back its former glory. We expect it to become a meadow,

which will be frequented by herbivores and tigers naturally, " says Biswajit

Mohanty, member, National Board for Wildlife.

 

For the displaced people who have never lived outside the forests, it's the

beginning of a new life. Their children can finally go to school.

 

" The government promised us Rs 10 lakhs and land. They have said they will

give us Rs 1 lakh to build a house and the rest Rs 9 lakh will be in the

form of fixed deposits. If our rehabilitation is proper, then others will

also leave Simlipal, " says Ganga, displaced Jenabil villager.

 

There are still three more villages in the tiger core area that need to be

evacuated. Thanks to the good package people are willing to reconsider their

views.

 

" We will take all care to train them in agriculture, horticulture and all

those things. It's no longer the job of the Forest Department of the

Simlipal Tiger Reserve, the whole of district administration has adopted

it, " says HS Upadhyay, director, STR.

 

Reducing human interference is key to increasing tiger numbers. The

successful rehabilitation of the people of Jenabil will go a long way in

bringing the big cat back to these meadows.

 

http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/save-the-tiger-campaign-away-from-the-forest-home\

-22325.php