Saving tigers the Malnad way

Lessons from the Malnad tiger landscape

The most impressive thing about India’s tiger conservation strategy is that it seems to be working. In 2006, there were 1,411 tigers which increased to 1,706 in 2010, 2,226 in 2014 and 2,967 in 2018.

But then there is the word of caution, by world experts and conservation forums who fear that the nation with its burgeoning human population has run out of room for the national animal. As tiger numbers increase, the tug-of-war with people for the same piece of land and resources is only going to increase, and therefore 3,000-3,500 seems to be a number India can strategically accommodate without rise in conflict.

One team of scientists including veteran wildlife conservationist Ullas Karanth however differ from this view. Documenting tiger recoveries in the past 30 years across a 38,000 sq km landscape matrix in the Malnad region of Karnataka, Karanth and his team are confident that if future tiger recovery efforts can be optimised, Malnad can support up to 1,300 wild tigers, which is more than 4 times the number at present. Additionally, they believe the same could be true for other tiger habitats of the world with India having the potential to hold 10,000 – 15,000 wild tigers.

Under protection

Malnad in the Western Ghats was at one time a game reserve established during the colonial era for hunting purposes. Shooting, snaring and poisoning of tigers continued in the reserve and outside it, until tiger hunting was banned in the 1970s. With forest product extraction and agriculture restricted in the forest reserves, the land became further secure for tigers. The game reserves ultimately formed the ‘cores’ from which present day Bandipur, Nagarahole, Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple and Anshi-Dandeli (subsequently designated as Kali) reserves were formed. 30% of the Malnad landscape is now under protection.

The study titled ‘Tigers against the odds: Applying macro-ecology to species recovery in India’, authored by K Ullas Karanth, Dr N Samba Kumar and Krithi Karanth appeared in the journal, Biological Conservation. In this paper, scientists analysed field data on tiger ecology, human impacts, emergent conflicts and conservation interventions under the 30-year ‘Malenad Tiger Programme’.

With their expertise gained from long-term involvement in the Malenad Tiger Programme, the scientists estimated that between 1970 and 2015, tiger habitat occupancy remained unchanged at 14,000 sq km, out of approximately 21,000 sq km of potential habitat in Malnad. However, tiger numbers rose from around 70 to 391 amid human population growth, increased life expectancy and reduction of poverty in the region. They believe the success was due to strong law enforcement, better monitoring of tigers and prey population using modern scientific tools, intervention of non-government organisations, and voluntary relocation of people from wildlife reserves.

“Our study demonstrates the potential to recover tiger populations through informed management actions. There is much scope for increasing the carrying capacity for tigers in the forests of Malnad through effective protection of tigers and habitats, backed by independent monitoring and evaluation”, says co-author N Samba Kumar.

Replicating the model

From their evaluation, the researchers conclude that despite fragmented habitats and anthropogenic pressures, the tigers in Malnad have fared well. In comparison, other tiger habitats of India, specifically Odisha, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and the Northeast hill regions that have more extensive forests, less fragmentation and less human interference have not shown the same growth curve of wild tigers. In fact, they have lost tigers.

In 2002, Odisha had reported 132 adult wild tigers which fell to only 28 in 2018 despite spending at least Rs 60 crore in their management and conservation. The state lost 104 tigers in these years, most probably due to poaching. Similarly, Chhattisgarh tiger numbers dropped from 46 in 2014 to an estimated 19 in the 2018. Mizoram’s Dampa tiger reserve has no tigers left.

“The key to bringing back tigers and other such threatened species lies in apportioning the land wisely separating nature preservation and human development, recognising the continued need for effective law enforcement, encouraging rather than stifling non-governmental conservation efforts, and, accepting the reality that wildlife conservation must succeed under the broader societal mandate for economic and technological progress,” says Karanth.

The authors’ recommendation includes focusing on reserves and forest that are currently well below their carrying capacity and have a good potential for providing a safe habitat for wild tigers. They also strongly feel the need to harness the talents of private enterprises, nonprofits and local communities to monitor the tigers rather than it being a government monopoly. The third recommendation is to reduce human impact through voluntary resettlements.

The researchers also advise on real-time monitoring of source population of tigers that have established their territories in core areas, instead of a four-yearly national estimate that does not give accurate results but only a broad picture of tiger numbers.

In the span of 30 years, much has changed in the way tigers are protected in India. From the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 to the establishment of Project Tiger, and the much-debated Forest Rights Act of 2006, the nation’s politics has been a large factor in steering the direction in which tiger conservation has moved in India.

But if the fate of 90% of remaining tigers (outside Malnad region) is left to bureaucracy alone, the potential to truly make a remarkable difference in tiger numbers may remain untapped forever. By way of example, the Malenad project shows there is an alternative way to save the nation’s favourite animal.