[1]While the recent Supreme Court order banning tourism in Tiger Reserves has been welcomed by ecologists and wildlife activists, the move has adversely affected the livelihood of hundreds of tribals who work as eco tourist guides and anti poaching watchers.
“Most APWs are yet to get their monthly salary and allowances. The future of about 300 families in the Nilgiris biosphere remains bleak.
We are not against banning tourism in core areas, but the respective state governments should rehabilitate the tribes who depend on eco tourism activities,” said Mr Bhutan Raja, president, Tamil Nadu Anti Poaching Watchers Association.
In Pollachi forest division, which comes under Anamalai tiger reserve, and in Mudumalai tiger reserve, a total of 130 temporary staffers are on the verge of losing their livelihood, Mr Raja added.
“Most of the tribals are temporary workers of the forest department and the money raised by eco tourism is distributed among them as salaries.
Now the corpus has run out of money,” rued T. Prabhu, a local tribal working as a temporary APW in Parambikulam tiger reserve in Kerala.
“The tribals can play a major role in effective conservation and their participation as anti poaching watcher has reduced incidence of poaching in all three TN tiger reserves.
Lack of employment may turn these breadwinners into passing information on to poachers and the issue needs to be addressed at the earliest”, says Mr K.V.R.K. Thirunaran, founder, The Nature Trust.
“Banning tourism in core tiger areas will boost the depleting forest cover but at the same time the tribals should be taken care of.
A clear road map can be evolved only after the conclusion of the apex court case”, a senior forest department official remarked.
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