Problem
Connectivity—the survival of India’s tiger population, which makes up 70% of the global tiger population, is dependent on it. In India, especially in the Central Indian landscape, maintaining connectivity between landscapes is vital for the dispersion of tigers beyond existing reserves. This dispersion helps preserve genetic diversity within the larger tiger population, which is crucial for the species’ long-term survival.
The Central Indian landscape, covering Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh, supports approximately 37% of India’s tiger population and has been identified as a global priority area for tiger conservation. This region comprises 14 protected areas spread across 152,000 square kilometers and is home to a diverse array of flora and fauna. Moreover, it serves as the source of several important rivers, providing water security for millions of people.
However, this critical tiger habitat is under severe threat. The Central Indian landscape is ecologically and socially vulnerable, with forests that not only support wildlife and Indigenous Peoples but also contain valuable coal and mineral deposits. Rapid development in the form of mining, road and railway construction, and reservoir building has led to increasing habitat fragmentation. If these developments continue unchecked, the landscape could suffer a significant decline in genetic diversity, potentially as high as 50%. The loss of connectivity between tiger populations could be disastrous for the long-term survival of tigers in the region.
Solution
The Central India Tiger Corridor Project—led in partnership by IFAW and the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), with support from Re:wild—is focused on addressing the critical threats to tiger conservation in Central India, primarily in the central and northern parts of the landscape.
The Vidarbha tiger region includes five tiger reserves—Pench, Tadoba-Andhari, Melghat, Bor, and Nawegaon-Nagzira—sustaining around 200 tigers. The northern Vindhayan hills region encompasses Bandhavgarh-Sanjay Tiger Reserves, Guru Ghasidas National Park, and other protected areas, supporting about 150 tigers.
For nearly a decade, we have been actively working in Nagzira-Nawegaon, Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserves, and Tipeshwar Wildlife Sanctuary to mitigate human-tiger conflicts and create safer tiger corridors. Building on these efforts, the Central India Tiger Corridor Project aims to expand its initiatives and address key threats in the tiger corridors of the Bandhavgarh-Sanjay Dubri Tiger Reserve landscape.
To achieve these goals, the project focuses on five key interventions:
- Community mobilisation and support: By engaging and empowering local communities, we can help them reduce their dependence on forest resources and effectively manage human-tiger conflicts. By involving communities in conservation efforts, the project aims to foster a sense of ownership and responsibility for protecting tiger habitats.
- Capacity building for forest departments: By enhancing the technical capacity of forest department personnel, we can improve enforcement against wildlife crimes. This includes training on modern conservation techniques and tools to better protect tiger populations and their habitats.
- Corridor management and threat mitigation: This involves conducting ground truthing surveys to identify and address threats in the bottlenecks of tiger corridors, as well as developing and implementing corridor management plans in collaboration with local grassroots organisations known as Green Corridor Champions (GCC). These plans aim to ensure that tigers can safely move between protected areas, maintaining genetic diversity and population health.
- Wildlife crime and poaching: This involves conducting anti-snare and anti-electrocution drives throughout the landscape. By also providing legal assistance to the Forest Department, we can help ensure that cases involving illegal activities related to wildlife are effectively pursued and prosecuted. These efforts are crucial in reducing the immediate threats posed by poaching and human-wildlife conflict.
- Alignment with national strategies: The project aligns with the National Tiger Conservation Authority’s expanded conservation strategy, which emphasises the importance of maintaining linkages and protecting potential tiger habitats beyond established reserves. This holistic approach ensures that the project contributes to broader conservation goals at the national level.
Impact
The Central India Tiger Corridor Project is not just about increasing the number of tigers—it’s about securing the long-term viability of tiger populations by maintaining and enhancing the connectivity of their habitats. By addressing the key threats to the Central Indian landscape, the project aims to preserve the ecological integrity of one of the most important tiger habitats in the world.
Through community involvement, capacity building, and strategic corridor management, the project helps to:
- Protect and restore tiger habitats: By maintaining landscape connectivity, we ensure that tigers can continue to roam freely between protected areas, thereby preserving genetic diversity and preventing population bottlenecks.
- Support sustainable development: The project’s focus on community empowerment and reducing forest dependency promotes sustainable livelihoods that do not compromise tiger habitats. This approach helps to balance conservation efforts with the socio-economic needs of communities.
- Enhance conservation efforts: By aligning with national conservation strategies and strengthening enforcement against wildlife crimes, the project contributes to the overall effectiveness of tiger conservation efforts in India.
- Promote coexistence: The project’s emphasis on conflict management and community engagement fosters a harmonious coexistence between humans and wildlife, ensuring that both can thrive in the Central Indian landscape.
Join us in safeguarding the future of tigers in Central India. Together, we can make a difference for this species and create a world where animals and people thrive together.
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