Tiger conservation plan for Periyar

A tiger conservation plan will be prepared for the Periyar Tiger Reserve (PTR) as suggested by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA). The plan is one of the conditions fixed by the Authority for extending financial support to the Reserve.The State had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests, represented by the Authority, for the protection of big cats. The Field Director of the Reserve is also party to the MoU.The Kerala Forest Research Institute (KFRI) will prepare the plan for the Reserve. The agreement makes it mandatory on the part of the State government to place in the public domain the plan and details of its execution on its official web site. The details should also be made available in the local language to promote public vigil, says the agreement. Incidentally, the State government has sought financial support of Rs.3.95 crore for the Reserve, which is home to around 35 tigers.The PTR has already achieved the four major requirements specified by the Authority, including the notification of the critical tiger habitat, formation of a steering committee for the Reserve and also the setting up of Conservation Foundation, said O.P. Kaler, Field Director, PTR. According to the agreement, the State government shall constitute a steering committee under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister for ensuring coordination, monitoring, protection and conservation of tiger, co-predators and prey animals. The committee was formed for Periyar much earlier, officials said.The Periyar Foundation, which was also formed earlier, will function as the “reserve-specific Tiger Conservation Foundation for the Tiger Reserve to facilitate and support its management for tiger conservation and eco development, by involving the local people,” as enlisted in the agreement. The core area of the Reserve has gone up to 881 sq km. The core tiger areas of Ranni and Gudrikkal divisions were also added to the Reserve, Mr. Kaler said. The agreement makes it mandatory for the State government to ensure the day-to-day tiger monitoring protocol in the Reserve as per advisories issued by the National Tiger Conservation Authority for “facilitating forecasting of untoward happenings.”On his part, the Field Director should ensure that a “security plan would be drawn up for the Reserve, considering its strength, weakness, opportunity and threat to ensure intelligence-based enforcement for protection of tiger, other wild animals and the habitat.” The security plan would also form part of the Tiger Conservation Plan.The non-observance of the agreement “leading to loss of tiger and its habitat and violation of statutory provisions of the NTCA may lead to penal action on the Field Director through the State government, ” according to the MoU.
The Hindu, 19th August 2009