Report of the Tiger Task Force - PRS

■ JOINING THE DOTS TIGER TASK FORCE REPORTdate of collection). This would give sufficienttime for researchers to publish their work andgain scientific credit, while ensuring that allwork done becomes available to the public andfor management purposes within a reasonableperiod.Putting information in the public domainThe Tiger Task Force feels very strongly that the mostserious lacuna in the approach to managinginformation on tigers has been a lack of openness andwillingness to take everybody along. The inclusive,open approach that we advocate depends crucially onfree access to all information for all people, exceptwhere very evident security concerns are involved. Inmodern times, this would be best ensured by postingall pertinent information on the Web, in English, aswell as in all Indian languages. Recent moves towardsensuring freedom of information have fortunatelyremoved all bureaucratic hurdles to such anendeavour. The information to be thus made availableshould include all research and survey results,pertinent satellite imagery (such as LISS 4 images),resource maps, working plans and managementplans, as well as on-going schemes of habitatmanipulation interventions, information collectedthrough the People’s Biodiversity Registers, and soon. An attempt should be made to also incorporateinformation on past and current activities of othergovernment agencies such as agriculture and tribaldevelopment in the concerned localities.A competent technical group involvingecologists, statisticians and computer scientistsshould help in organising all the relevant informationin a suitably designed information system. This effortmay be conducted in collaboration with the recentinitiative of the National Biodiversity Authority todevelop a countrywide, networked BiodiversityInformation System.Recommendations1. It is essential to facilitate involvement of a wide range of researchers in wildlifebiology, especially in the context of intensive studies at the field level. It is also essentialto undertake interdisciplinary research moving beyond a single protected area and into abroader landscape framework. This should cover, besides biological aspects, themanagement and socio-economic aspects of wildlife conservation and protected areamanagement.2. The Tiger Task Force is of the opinion that it is important to put in place institutionalmechanisms that would streamline existing procedures for clearance and coordination ofresearch and ensure better utilisation of the research output.To do this, panels should be set up at the state and national levels, chaired by theinspector general of forests (wildlife) or the chief wildlife wardens, and including thesecretary of the National Biodiversity Authority or the State Biodiversity Board and otherexperts in ecology, social sciences and bio-statistics. These panels must serve as ‘singlewindow’ clearing houses for all matters relating to wildlife research, so that theystreamline current procedures, rather than create another layer of decision-making.3. Internal expertise and confidence in research abilities have grown enormously in thecountry since the time of the launch of Project Tiger. Indian researchers are competent toundertake specialised research and unlike their counterparts in the rest of the world, theybring uniquely Indian perspectives to wildlife matters. It is this research and itsintegration with policy that needs to be fostered. The Wildlife Institute of India must beencouraged to play the role of a facilitator to improve the interface of research,management and policy. The agenda for research is massive and it will need theinvolvement and active engagement of many institutions and researchers. What is neededis to create forums that can bring together this knowledge and improve its use in policy.4. The process of designing and implementing the management plans for each tigerreserve needs to be reworked.a. The plans must be updated regularly, taking into consideration the scientific and86 The way ahead