Misuse of camera traps, drones to pry into lives of Uttarakhand village women by forest officials: Study

New Delhi: Camera traps and drones used by the forest department to keep track of tigers, leopards and elephants are being misused to pry into the lives of village women in Uttarakhand, researchers at the University of Cambridge have reported after talking to people living close to Jim Corbett National Park.

Aware of the surveillance tools, the women now take extra-caution to cover their legs, restricting their movement and consequently getting less time to collect forest produce.

Sometimes to avoid being tracked, the women venture into deeper forests, putting them at risk from animal attacks.

The study also reveals how forest officials deliberately fly drones over local women to frighten them so that they stay out of the forest, stopping them from collecting natural resources — despite it being their legal right to do so, the Cambridge University said in a statement.

“Nobody could have realised that camera traps put in the forest to monitor mammals actually have a profoundly negative impact on the mental health of local women who use these spaces,” said Trishant Simlai, a sociology researcher at the University of Cambridge and lead author of the report.

Simlai and his guide Chris Sandbrook decided to have a look at the impact of technology on people’s lives after India announced that the 2018 tiger census held the Guinness world record for the world's largest camera trap wildlife survey as 26,838 camera traps were placed in 141 locations.

Over 14 months between 2019 and 2021, the team spoke to 270 villagers including a large number of women who shared their experiences of encountering these tools. They also spoke to local forest and police officials.

“A few senior forest officers were supporting my research, but many others told me that their primary responsibility is to keep track of the animals,” Simlai told DH.

Among other things, the researchers noticed how women changed the way they dress while going to the forest. Earlier they used to wear their sarees above their knees to enhance ease of movement during the collection of forest produce.

But camera traps deter women from adopting such practice. They now spend considerable time adjusting their dresses to make sure they are adequately ‘covered’, in case they are photographed. “Such self-policing reduces the time for them to collect firewood and grass,” the team reported.

“We can’t walk in front of the cameras or sit in the area with our kurtis above our knees, we are afraid that we might get photographed or recorded in a wrong way,” a woman was quoted in the study.

“Camera traps placed in nearby forests are often welcomed by men who disapprove of women spending extended periods of time in the forest,” the researchers reported.

There was at least one example of the camera capturing the image of one autistic woman relieving herself inside a stream. The image was shared in local social media groups by temporary forest staff, leading to clashes between villagers and forest departments.

Domestic violence and alcoholism are widespread problems in this rural region and many women spend long hours in forest spaces to escape difficult home situations.

The women living near Corbett Tiger Reserve use the forest daily in ways that are central to their lives: from gathering firewood and herbs to sharing life’s difficulties, sometimes through traditional songs. The noise also acts as a deterrent to large animals.

“But when they see camera traps they feel inhibited because they don’t know who’s watching or listening to them – and as a result they behave differently - often being much quieter, which puts them in danger,” Simlai said.

The study has appeared in the journal Environment and Planning.