PROTECTED AREA UPDATE
No. 39 October 2002

News and Information from protected areas in India and South Asia

EDITORIAL

NEWS FROM INDIAN STATES

ANDHRA PRADESH

JAMMU AND KASHMIR

NATIONAL NEWS FROM INDIA

SOUTH ASIA

OPPURTUNITIES

UPCOMING

PA UPDATE MATTERS

READERS RESPONSES

EDITORIAL

Lessons from the Ranthambore Crisis

It was probably an unprecedented crisis in Ranthambore in Rajasthan: 100s of people from surrounding villages with 1000s of heads of cattle stormed the park in August as a fourth successive drought hit the region. With availability of water and fodder a severe problem, one can only imagine that people in a desperate need to survive may have had no option. It needed some real tough posturing and action by the authorities to finally get them out and prevent what could have possibly been much greater damage to the park itself.

This issue again brings the livelihoods - conservation conflict centre stage; albeit in a completely different way. Viewed in the larger context, it is strongly indicative of the fa ilure of both conservation and rural development policies and programmes to harmonise with each other and toensure the integration of ecological and livelihood security. This is also precisely the situation that is misused by vested political interests, as reported from Ranthambore too. There are many questions that need to be answered if the recurrence of a situation like this is to be prevented and if a more viable and long lasting solution has to be found.

The administration, the Forest Department and conservationists have to realise that management and protection of our protected areas cannot be successful if there is so much hostility. If the communities that live around these areas do not have a stake in its conservation and well being, it will be impossible to ensure that the Ranthambore kind of situation does not repeat itself, either here or elsewhere in the country. The failure to ensure the economic, social and livelihood security of villagers in the surrounds of protected areas, has clearly enhanced hostility towards wildlife conservation, with the parks often being seen as 'islands of luxury' in the midst of increasingly desperate situations of fuel/fodder shortage and livelihood insecurity. This needs to change and the local people need to be made equal partners and beneficiaries in the whole process. The situation has also highlighted the absence of any large scale, landscape level planning that would consider the needs of all constituencies. This too is necessary and its high time that planning for and around protected areas took a much more holistic view of the situation.

The other question however needs to be asked of the people themselves. Why did they, in their situation of crisis and scarcity, move towards the park and not away from it? The answer is as simple as it is obvious. Ranthambore'
s forests are not only critical for the survival of the tiger and myriad other species, but also for ensuring the ecological security in the area. If the forests of Ranthambore are to be destroyed today, where will they go when drought strikes again tomorrow? That Ranthambore was conserved ensured that the surrounding villagers had somewhere to go in a situation of crisis. Polarised positions in the debate will not help the situation at all. The mandate of conservation cannot be questioned. Its worth has been repeatedly proven, particularly in situations like the one we just saw in Ranthambore. At the same time however, there is a need to change conservation policies in the country, away from the present, 'off limits' and 'no interference' regime, so that the local communities seek, not to undermine conservation, but to become its important supporters.

It is a dual challenge that needs to be taken up earnestly. And urgently!

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