The Idu Mishmi Cultural and Literary Society (IMCLS) has taken up cudgels against the move to declare Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary (DWLS) as a tiger reserve. The society claimed that the declaration of the DWLS is unilateral, arbitrary and illegal, because they did not follow the due procedure as mentioned in the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and the Land Acquisition Act, 1894. The society also stated that it has been fighting against the Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary (DWLS) since its proposal stage. This seems to be a classic case of how conservation efforts are going wrong.
The government should have taken the local population into confidence before going ahead with such a decision. Unless there is cooperation from the local population, the conservation efforts usually fail. The government should first initiate a dialogue process with the local Idu Mishmi community and take them into confidence. Without their support, any attempt to establish the Dibang tiger reserve will not succeed. This should be an eye-opener for the authorities who randomly start declaring forest areas as reserve forests, wildlife sanctuaries, etc. The tribals who have lived in these forests for such a long time will not agree to leave them very easily. Their trust and confidence have to be won before making any such decisions.