[ Durba Ghosh ]
KAZIRANGA, 25 Feb: Focus on the frontliners coupled with systematic expansion of the Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve in Assam has led to the emergence of a ‘Kaziranga model’ of conservation, which has been considered a global flag bearer in forest management, its director said.
The reserve forest, which is celebrating its 50th year as a national park, witnessed that the model of conservation has helped secure the largest population of one-horned rhinoceros and wild buffalo, the highest density of tigers, Asian elephants and eastern swamp deer in the landscape, Kaziranga National Park & Tiger Reserve Director Sonali Ghosh told PTI in an interview.
“In terms of biodiversity and securing their habitat, the Kaziranga or the wilderness model has been a success as it has invested in the frontline workers who protect the reserve forest and its resources with 30 people per square km as compared to five per sq km in the leading parks of Africa,” she said.
It has the highest density of 200 anti-poaching camps with 1,500 forest personnel in the 500-square km park, Ghosh pointed out.
“The trust in the forest frontliners, including women, who are manning the anti-poaching camps all through the year, has been the key to Kaziranga’s conservation success,” she said.
The second factor that has ensured the success of the conservation practice is the gradual expansion of the park landscape from less than 500 sq kms area to the current 1,300 sq kms, which includes the northern bank of the Brahmaputra river and the addition of Burachapori and Laokhowa last year, the KNPTR director said.
The park is home to nearly 3,000 rhinos, 2,500 wild buffalo, 1,089 Asian elephants, 1,129 swamp deers, and 121 tigers, besides having a species diversity of 39 mammals, 553 birds, 64 reptiles, and 41 amphibians.
The strategy of expanding the area of the reserve forest for wildlife has helped the animals flourish and the long-term conservation process, she said.
“We have had ten additions to the greater Kaziranga landscape in five districts of the state, including a significant portion of the Brahmaputra river with a very unique aquatic habitat, including the Gangetic dolphins and the Indian gharial, among others,” she said.
The people living in the fringe areas of the park have voluntarily accepted that the wild animals are their neighbours and their tolerance has ensured conservation success, Ghosh said.
Asked about the threat of poaching in the park, she said that the frontline forest guards have brought the situation under control.
Still, there was an incident of rhino poaching in January this year, which is a matter of concern, the official said.
“As long as there is international trade in body parts of wild animals, particularly the rhino horn, the threat of poaching will remain, but a lot of emphasis has been laid on rhino conservation,” she said.
Another matter of concern is the human-animal conflict, particularly with the wild buffaloes which have a considerable population of over 2,500, and “there is a need for an effective strategy to establish and maintain the coexistence between humans and animals,” she said.
The capacity of the reserve forest also needs to be addressed continuously with a growing number of tourists.
The Kaziranga park is a “very intensely managed reserve forest and we need to develop and innovate strategies to tackle the increasing pressure,” the director said.
There is always a challenge to balance conservation and tourism by implementing the strategies, she added.
The maximum concentration of tourists is in the central and western ranges, and it is difficult to convey to people that there are equally beautiful areas with diverse wildlife in the eastern, northern and westernmost ranges, the official said.
“If we can stagger the tourist footfalls across all the ranges, we can reduce the pressure on just two and bring down the adverse impact. Besides, we are also keen to expand the buffer areas, both from the wildlife and tourism point of view,” she said.
With the expansion of the park and animals colonising these areas, the need for their protection arises and “we need more watch towers and camps in the extended area,” she added. (PTI)