Report of the Tiger Task Force - PRS

TIGER TASK FORCE REPORT JOINING THE DOTS ■Research1. Put in place institutional mechanisms that wouldstreamline existing procedures for clearance andcoordination of research and ensure betterutilisation of the research output. To do this,panels should be set up at the state and nationallevels, chaired by the inspector general of forests(wildlife) or chief wildlife wardens, and includingthe secretary of the National BiodiversityAuthority or the State Biodiversity Board andother experts in ecology, social sciences and biostatistics.These panels must serve as ‘singlewindow’ clearing houses for all matters relating towildlife research, so that they streamline currentprocedures, rather than create another layer ofdecision-making.2. The process of designing and implementing themanagement plans for each tiger reserve needs tobe reworked. The plans must be updatedregularly, taking into consideration the scientificand socio-economic research that has beenconducted; these plans should be put in thepublic domain and be used for the independentevaluation of the reserve.3. The independent audit must be used to create areputational advantage for the reserve.a. The Project Tiger directorate should work tofurther improve its criterion and indicatorsfor the rating. The criterion must bedeveloped to benchmark the progress andproblems in all critical areas and set targets forits improvement.b. The rating should then be used formanagement decisions and for creating aninformed and involved public opinion on theworking of individual reserves.c. It must be used to inform Parliament of theprogress being made in tiger conservation andthe challenges ahead.Relocation1 There should be an urgent and realistic review ofthe number of villages that actually need to berelocated from the reserves. The decision must bebased on the fact that the villages that need to berelocated are made to do so because they aresituated in the critical habitats — tiger natal areasand key conservation priority areas. There mustbe a criterion for the identification of thesevillages, so that it is clear which village is to berelocated and why.2. There must be a tight schedule of one year tostudy settlements and list the ones to be relocated.This schedule must be strictly complied with.3. Based on this list, the Project Tiger directorateshould draw up a time-bound action plan tocomplete the process of relocation. The actionplan for relocation must be completed in terms ofits financial and land provisions before it isfinalised and accepted.4. During the formulation of this action plan, theresponsible agency must keep in mind theexperience of past relocation efforts to ensure thatthe process of relocation does not lead to furtherresource degradation or loss of livelihood of people.5. The financial allocation for the relocation schememust be revised and enhanced so that it can takeinto account the needs, particularly, of providingirrigated land and other facilities to ensurelivelihood security.6. The scheme must take into account the options forlivelihood in the resettled village. It is importantfor planners to keep in view the fact that peoplewho live within the reserves are forest-dependentcommunities, and survive within agro-silvopastoraleconomies. The relocation package mustbe designed to provide viable alternatives.7. The classfication of land after the families arerelocated must be changed from forest to revenueland, which will allow the settlers advantages ofdevelopment and other facilities.8. Set up a task force at the Central level to monitorthe quality of relocation and to ensure that there iscareful coordination and follow-up in therelocation work.Action plan for change 149