Wildlife and Nature Conservation - Centre for Ecological Sciences

[132] Besides being trained to serve as wildlife guides, local and tribal people shouldbe involved in anti poaching activities. They should also be encouraged todevelop and improve local handicrafts.[133] Protected area authorities must train and certify local wildlife guides toaccompany tourists into the park. Any infringement of protected area rules bytourists must be punished by a suspension of the guide for a week in the firstinstance and for six months on subsequent occasions. A similar discipline shouldbe enforced on vehicles for hire to visiting tourists or even those belonging totourist resorts in the area.[134] Interpretation Centres should be developed to provide visitors with anopportunity to learn about the local flora and fauna and the role of the protectedarea in protecting and conserving the environment and wildlife. These centres canalso be used for training the cadre of guides and motivating schoolchildren andyouth.[135] Material in the form of user-friendly guidebooks on the protected area’s, givingmaps, flora and fauna and some information on the important rivers and othergeographical features need to be published. They should also include informationon the historical as well cultural importance of the area to make the visitinformative and meaningful. as well as the “dos” and “don’ts” while visiting theprotected areas.[136] A system should be developed where important records are maintained forposterity in each district/state. Here, proper training to record accurately andscientifically becomes important. A protocol for data maintenance, storage andretrieval should be devised. Each protected area should also develop a librarywhere research reports and papers are maintained.[137] The Wildlife Wings and protected areas should be manned by personnel withinterest and aptitude. A sub-cadre needs to be developed for this. This wouldensure the four prerequisites – selection of the appropriate personnel, longevity oftenure, training and prevention of posting of unsuitable persons. If personnel ofsuch requirements are not available from the IFS or SFS, they should be recruitedfrom the open field.[138] An ecologist must be available on the staff or as an advisor to the managers ofimportant protected areas.[139] The protected area managers, and not the territorial authorities of the ForestDepartment, should have full and effective control over their protected areas, andalso of their buffers and corridors to the extent possible. Linkages with the localpeople should be built up in the buffers.[140] The Chief Wildlife Warden should have full and effective control, includingfinancial control, over the protected areas and buffers and over the officers andstaff, which man them.[141] The Chief Wildlife Warden needs to make entries in the annual confidentialreports (ACRs) of territorial Conservator of Forests, DCFs and ACFs as to thework done by them vis-à-vis nature conservation.[142] The duties enjoined upon protected area managers and the Chief Wildlife Wardenunder the Wild Life (Protection) Act, needs to be conscientiously carried out inboth letter and spirit.[143] Training and motivation must be provided to the protected area personnel,including promotional avenues and cadre management.140