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76 • Appendix 1 STATE LEVEL CONSULTATION - HIMACHAL PRADESH 16 th & 17 th September, 2004, Wildlife Information Centre, Manali, Himachal Pradesh Views of the Forest Department Staff on Project Snow Leopard and Its Planning Specific Target Areas In general, areas above ca. 3,000 m will be referred to as the high-altitude areas under the PSL. In Himachal Pradesh, the areas included under the scope of the PSL are Lahaul, Spiti, Pangi, Kinnaur, Upper Chamba (especially Bharmour), Upper Kangra (Bara Bhangal), Upper Kullu (Mantalai, Pin Parvati, upper Great Himalayan NP, upper Manali), and Upper Simla (Rupi Bhabha, Dodra Kwar). 1. Constraints Faced by the Forest Department Staff in Effectively Managing Wildlife in the High Altitudes (> 3000 M) of Himachal Pradesh 1.1. Administrative Constraints 1.1.1. Problems associated with single-line administration and lack of managerial flexibility: In many remote areas of the country, in particular the high altitudes, the administration functions as a ‘Single Line’, where, all departments, including the forest department, report to the District/Sub-divisional head. The forest department officials in such a situation draw all or most of their financial allocation from the overall district administration, rather than from their own Departmental head. In many cases, wildlife conservation is not a priority mandate for the district administration, which hinders effective conservation management. Furthermore, since the district administration is often not sensitive to the need for adaptive management of wildlife and biodiversity, the forest department officials often have to work within a rigid, non-flexible setup. 1.1.2. Need for expanded mandate for territorial and other departments in biodiversity conservation: The work of the Territorial Wings of the Forest Department at times conflicts with the interests of biodiversity conservation. There is a clear need under the PSL for including wildlife conservation as a priority mandate for the territorial and other wings of the forest department. 1.1.3. Need for training and capacity development in wildlife management for all Forest Department officers: The Forest Department has primary control over most areas rich in biodiversity. Biodiversity conservation often is a specialized task involving skills
Towards Project Snow Leopard • 77 in assessing and monitoring biodiversity values, working with communities that require capacity building. Capacity development of the entire forest department staff is needed in this regard, including staff serving outside protected areas, as they often deal with endangered species or human-wildlife conflicts. 1.1.4. Need for posting wildlife trained staff in wildlife departments: As discussed above, there is a critical need for trained officers to be in charge of the existing Wildlife PAs. Although the extent of experience and hands-on wildlife management work is vital, some formal training in Wildlife Management needs to be promoted for all officers under the PSL. 1.2. Financial Constraints 1.2.1. Lack of incentives and infrastructure for the staff: The regions are remote, with difficult working conditions. The problem is exacerbated due to the general lack of proper infrastructure including adequate housing, equipment and transport. As a result postings in the high altitudes are often considered ‘punishment postings’ and the personnel lose interest in working there. 1.2.2. Manpower (in wildlife works) in the high altitudes- presently less manpower, mostly untrained: The area is characterized by a general scarcity of staff. Estimates show that a single forest guard is sometimes expected to manage mountainous terrain ranging from c. 600 to 1000 km 2 . 1.2.3. Generally low priority to the biodiversity sector and relatively poor funds allocation by local single-line administration: As mentioned above, this sector is often considered ‘non-productive’ and is given much lower priority, than for example, the Animal Husbandry Department. Scarcity of resources and manpower become serious constraints for effective conservation work. 1.2.4. Lack of financial flexibility under single-line administration: As mentioned above, wildlife managers have little administrative or financial flexibility under single line administration, an issue that needs to be addressed under the PSL. 1.3. Ecological and Information Constraints 1.3.1. Inadequate baseline data on wildlife populations/species: For most areas, including PAs, reliable data on animal abundances are largely unavailable. The primary problem is due to the difficult access, staff scarcity, lack of resources and training. Without baseline data and continued monitoring programmes, it is not possible to evaluate the impact of management activities, or even the setting up of PAs. 1.3.2. Need for better, more extensive wildlife population monitoring: Proper monitoring programmes will enable better decision making by wildlife managers. 1.3.3. Need for intelligence information on extent of hunting/ hunters: This is again related to the poor access, lack of staff and resources. More often than not, the relationship
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TOWARDS PROJECT SNOW LEOPARD Report
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PSL 2006. Towards Project Snow Leop
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The immensely succ
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY India’s high al
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operationalized at the earliest. Fo
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Chapter 1: PROJECT SNOW LEOPARD-A C
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22 • Addresses Shri Rigzin Jora,
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24 • Addresses Shri Tsering Dorje
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